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Reviewed by Amy M. O’Quinn for the National Writing for Children Center

Title: Chanukah Lights Everywhere
Written by: Michael J. Rosen
Illustrated by: Melissa Iwai
Hardback: 32 pages
Ages: 4-8
Publisher: Harcourt Trade, 2001; 1st Edition
ISBN-10: 0152056750
ISBN-13: 978-0152056759

In this bright and colorful book, a young boy and his family celebrate Chanukah (Hanukkah) or the Festival of Lights. But author Michael J. Rosen also cleverly incorporates the skill of counting into the story by matching the number of candles that are lit on the menorah each night to other kinds of lights that can be seen by the five-year-old boy and his family.

For example, on the second night of the Festival of Lights, the family has lit two candles on the menorah. And as the little boy and his sister are spinning the dreidel on the floor, they notice TWO headlights outside as their grandfather drives up.

On the fourth night of Chanukah, there are four candles burning on the menorah. But the little boy also notices there are FOUR flames flickering under the skillets and pots on the stove as his mother fries up a platterful of latkes.

And on the seventh night of Chanukah, the family takes a drive around the neighborhood. The boy notices that at his best friend’s house, where Christmas is celebrated, there are lamps with just one bulb burning in each of the SEVEN windows—just as there are seven candles on his menorah at home. The boy’s father says, “Chanukah is also about the joy of different religions sharing a street.”

Throughout the eight days of Chanukah, and even afterwards, the little boy sees lights that remind him of the candles on the menorah. And he thinks about Chanukah and being Jewish in such a wide world of other lights—it extends far beyond the menorah.

This engaging book by Michael J. Rosen has certainly captured the spirit of the Jewish celebration while also providing the reader with a glimpse into the life of a young boy who finds joy in the traditions of his family and his heritage. He is also very observant of the one-to-one correspondence of the different kinds of lights around him as he adds candles to the menorah each night.

The illustrations by Melissa Iwai are lively and playful and add much to the story. Young readers will enjoy finding the menorahs (sometimes cleverly hidden) on each page. Children might also notice and count the growing number of cats throughout the story.

At the end of the book, Mr. Rosen includes two pages about the history of Chanukah and the symbolism of this Festival of Lights. The information is helpful to readers (such as myself) who are not as familiar with Chanukah, and it also provides insight and understanding about this important Jewish holiday!

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Amy M. O’Quinn is a pastor’s wife and former schoolteacher-turned-homeschool mom of six. She is also a freelance writer who enjoys jotting down ideas around the fringes of family life. She specializes in non-fiction, and her work has been published or acquired by magazines including Jack and Jill, US Kids, Guideposts for Kids, Learning Through History Magazine, Highlights, GEORGIA Magazine, Homeschooling Today, International Gymnast, etc. She is also a product/curriculum/book reviewer for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine and a regular columnist for TEACH Magazine. The O’Quinns live on the family farm in rural south Georgia. You can find Amy’s blog, Ponderings From Picket Fence Cottage, at http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/picketfencemom.