The THIRD Post of Bookmas... Hanukkah 1-2-3!: A First Counting Book by Joy Nelkin Wieder, Illustrator Aura Lewis

It's day THREE, but in case you missed the first, and second posts, I'm ready to answer your big question!

What IS Bookmas?!

Bookmas is similar to Christmas, except it brings tidings of great reads, holiday gifting suggestions, and just about all the bookish fun you can imagine from across the genre spectrum. It's a quick glance at a title I've read or had my attention captured by, with a little something extra to help you get out from under the yuletide stress, and get back to enjoying the season...one page at a time. SNOW now that you know... back to today's feature! 😉

🕎 For the THIRD post of Bookmas, we share the holiday fun with...

Hanukkah 1-2-3!: A First Counting Book 

(A Jewish Holiday Concept Book)

Board Books to Celebrate the Jewish Holidays

By 

Joy Nelkin Wieder

Illustrator Aura Lewis

About the book...

Learning to count is as easy as 1, 2, 3 in this unique board book celebrating the holiday of Hanukkah! From opening one gift to lighting two menorah candles, and from frying three latkes all the way to ten people singing a round, young readers will grasp how to count as they learn about the Festival of Lights!

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🌟 There's no better way to spread holiday cheer than including absolutely EVERYONE, from the tall to the really small! Tiny kiddos get a chance to play AND learn about their numbers, about traditions, and about celebrations that don't include the big man in red with this thoughtful #boardbook release just waiting to be added to your collection. It's a festive way to educate, while making sure it's accessible to little hands with its sturdy format. With cheerful illustrations and a vibrate color palette, this will definitely draw readers from all backgrounds!

💫 Do you celebrate the holidays? If so, which one or ones?

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Special thanks to Abrams Books team for the scoop. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links above. This title is available now for your reading and gifting pleasure! Be sure to stay tuned for more of this series as we approach the holiday!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

Tis the season for STORYBOOKS!: Eight Sweet Nights, A Festival of Lights by Charlotte Offsay, Illustrated by Menahem Halberstadt - REVIEW!

Tis the season for STORYBOOKS!

You know, those short tales filled with WONDER, illustrations, memories in the making, and morals to take away.  They are an integral part of childhood, and a great way to step back to those days as an adult reader.  They're beautiful to add to your own collection, and a great gifting idea for little readers in the making.  

Today's featured title comes to us via Random House Children's Books and focuses on a story that's just as beautiful as the season.  It takes us through a modern day celebration that has its roots deeply in the past, and adds in a bit of edutainment to broaden our knowledge horizons.  So whether you already take part in this seasonal affair, or are simply curious to know more, take a closer look between the pages of today's ebook of choice...

Eight Sweet Nights, A Festival of Lights

by

Charlotte Offsay

Illustrated by

Menahem Halberstadt

9780593808726

Doubleday Books for Young Readers

About the book...

A warm and yummy Hanukkah-themed picture book about the joys of coming together to celebrate with family and food.

It’s time to start counting sleeps—Hanukkah is coming! Shimmering, shining, sparkling. Eight sweet nights, a festival of lights.

Set in a cozy house full of latkes, applesauce, sufganiyot, and other Hanukkah holiday treats, this warm and emotional story highlights the importance and joy of passing along traditions from one generation to the next, and making new traditions too.

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Hanukkah.

Feast of the Maccabees.

Festival of Lights.

All names for the same celebration that takes place over the course of eight nights some time between November and the beginning of January (this year happens to fall on December 25th through January 2nd). In Hebrew, Hanukkah means “dedication,” and the holiday marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC, after a small group of Jewish fighters liberated it from occupying foreign forces.  What most on the outside see is the lighting of the candles in the menorah, eight days of gifts, and foods being cooked in celebration of the season.  On the inside of the celebration, there are connections to the past to remember, traditions to be carried out, and new memories to be added to carry it all forward to the next generation.  

The story between these pages let's us share in the festivities of the first night. It shares the traditional names, foods, and histories that go along with eight nights of celebration.  It shares a bit of the why behind the practices, as does the add in at story's end, while respecting the who both between the pages and the individual reading the pages so that no one feels left out, nor disrespected.  There's a joy, and a peacefulness to the tale that stays with you through the turn of the final page, while the beauty of the togetherness illustrated warms your heart.

A great story to add to your holiday reading this season and a great gift idea for those you hold dear!

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Special thanks to Alessandra at Random House Children's Books for the ecopy for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, the illustrator, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now wherever books are sold.

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!