Dear Santa, Love, Rachel Rosenstein

by Amanda Peet, Andrea Troyer, Christine Davenier (Illustrator)

Overview

For anyone who's ever asked "Why can't we have a Christmas tree?" comes a lighthearted story about being Jewish during the holiday season—by actress Amanda Peet!

Rachel Rosenstein is determined to celebrate Christmas this year—and the fact that her family is Jewish is not going to stop her. In a series of hilarious and heartwarming mishaps, Rachel writes a letter to Santa explaining her cause, pays him a visit at the mall, and covertly decorates her house on Christmas Eve (right down to latkes for Santa and his reindeer). And while Rachel may wrestle with her culture, customs, and love of sparkly Christmas ornaments, she also comes away with a brighter understanding of her own identity and of the gift of friends and family.

Inspired by actress Amanda Peet's experience with her own children, Dear Santa, Love, Rachel Rosenstein is sure to be a new holiday classic!

"Will help introduce young readers to other cultures while allowing them to preserve the magic of their own."—Booklist

"Actress Peet and her friend/coauthor Troyer, both newcomers to children’s books, handle Rachel’s obsession and her family’s strong sense of religious identity with equal empathy and humor."—Publishers Weekly

"There’s lots of humor in the text and in the lively, scribbly, colorful illustrations. But the authors wisely don’t gloss over Rachel’s feelings—which can be common for anyone who doesn’t celebrate Christmas that time of year, a notion that steers the text toward a happy, multi-culti ending."—The Horn Book

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780553510614
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	10/20/2015
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.70(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD620L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

AMANDA PEET is an actress, playwright, and the author of Dear Santa, Love Rachel Rosenstein, which she co-wrote with Andrea Troyer. She has appeared in numerous films, including Please Give, Syriana, Igby Goes Down, and The Whole Nine Yards. Her TV credits include Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and HBO's Togetherness. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three children.
 
ANDREA TROYER is the author of Dear Santa, Love Rachel Rosenstein, which she co-wrote with Amanda Peet. She grew up in Minnesota and received an MFA from the University of California, Irvine. Andrea lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons.

CHRISTINE DAVENIER is the illustrator of many children’s books, including Julie Andrews’s The Very Fairy Princess series and Dear Santa, Love Rachel Rosenstein by Amanda Peet and Andrea Troyer. She lives in Paris.

Editorial Reviews

A little multicultural humor—and refreshing honesty—goes a long way during the holiday onslaught.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

09/14/2015
Rachel belongs to a loving, observant Jewish family—the kind where every Shabbat, “her friends and family passed around the challah and said the same blessings that Papa Murray said as a child.” But when Christmas comes around, Rachel wants to be part of the celebration; she “felt like a kid in a candy store with no mouth.” Actress Peet and her friend/coauthor Troyer, both newcomers to children’s books, handle Rachel’s obsession and her family’s strong sense of religious identity with equal empathy and humor; as Rachel’s mother explains, “Sometimes, no matter how badly we want something, we just have to accept what is.” But the story’s real inspiration is having disconsolate Rachel run into her Buddhist, Muslim, and Hindi friends all at the same Chinese restaurant on Christmas Day—a lovely and pointed reminder that America is a land of many “great holidays.” Ages 3–7. Authors’ agents: Joseph Veltre and Allison Cohen, Gersh Agency. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"Many Jewish kids in America can probably relate to Amanda Peet’s new children’s book."—Time.com

"It's not just for kids: Any grown-ups who remember what it's like being a Jewish kid when everyone else seems to be caroling around Christmas trees and putting out cookies for Santa will love it, too."—Bustle.com 

"Packs a lesson in cultural understanding. —The Chicago Tribune

"Will help introduce young readers to other cultures while allowing them to preserve the magic of their own."—Booklist

"Actress Peet and her friend/coauthor Troyer, both newcomers to children’s books, handle Rachel’s obsession and her family’s strong sense of religious identity with equal empathy and humor."—Publishers Weekly

"There’s lots of humor in the text and in the lively, scribbly, colorful illustrations. But the authors wisely don’t gloss over Rachel’s feelings—which can be common for anyone who doesn’t celebrate Christmas that time of year, a notion that steers the text toward a happy, multi-culti ending."—The Horn Book

"Bright watercolors depict Rachel and her family as a loving group, surrounded by commercial trappings of the season."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

10/01/2015
K-Gr 3—Rachel is desperate to celebrate Christmas, even though she and her family are Jewish. Feeling "like a kid in a candy store with no mouth," she secretly develops a scheme to get Santa to visit her home, complete with a letter to the North Pole, homemade decorations, and even a visit to the mall to sit on his lap. When he doesn't show, she is extremely disappointed and is almost too sad to enjoy her family's traditional dinner at a Chinese restaurant, the only place left open. There, she is surprised to find she isn't the only kid not visited by Santa when she meets other classmates who also don't celebrate the season but take pride in their own cultural holidays and traditions. Davenier's illustrations are the highlight of this title. Bright watercolors depict Rachel and her family as a loving group, surrounded by commercial trappings of the season. Unfortunately, while the story attempts to teach pride and celebration in other traditions, it is overshadowed in a final spread that reinforces the idea that Christmas is superior and that "sometimes, no matter how badly we want something, we just have to accept what is." VERDICT Attractive and well-meaning, if not entirely successful.—Brooke Sheets, Los Angeles Public Library

School Library Journal

2015-08-12
Jewish Rachel is enchanted by the holiday glitter of Christmas lights and decorations, as well as the anticipated visits from Santa Claus, but her family will have none of it. Determined to take part, she writes a letter to Santa asking him to come down her chimney because she's been "really good all year" and deems Santa "a fair person [who] will not mind that [she] is Jewish." On Christmas Eve, Rachel secretly decorates her living room, leaves leftover latkes with chocolate chips hastily added, and an "I love you, Santa" note. She is angrily disappointed the next morning when there are no presents. In the Chinese restaurant on Christmas Day, Rachel sees classmates who are Chinese and Indian and learns they also do not celebrate Christmas, which helps to soothe the sting. The authors' attempt to address a child's disgruntled frustration at not participating in what seems to her to be the greatest party of the year is poorly executed, however well-intended. Even as they do an adequate job of mentioning all the jovial celebrations Jewish families enjoy throughout the calendar year ("Being Jewish was fun most of the time"), they undercut Rachel's eye-opening multicultural revelation with an unnecessary last scene: a parade of joyful children holding gifts passes Rachel, who thinks "she could still feel a tiny bit bad" about eschewing Christmas.The lovely ink-and-watercolor paintings cannot save this unfortunate effort with its missed opportunity for a wholly positive outcome. (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews