Zigazak! A Magical Hanukkah Night

Is Hanukkah really all about dancing dreidels and high-flying latkes? Maybe not, but Eric Kimmel and Jon Goodell have put these devilish phenomena to good use in a lighthearted story that teaches Hanukkah traditions--from kazatzkas to gelt--along with a wise, timeless moral. The tale's decidedly unscary antagonists are a couple of bumbling devils determined to cause Hanukkah-night mischief in the village of Brisk. Goodell's clearly having fun as he sends five dreidels into a tight little jig, launches latkes around Hannah Leah's kitchen, and sets off some menorah pyrotechnics in Menachem Mendel's home. But Brisk's frightened villagers need not worry: they've got a clever rabbi who's not only unafraid of the devils' antics--he enjoys them! When dreidels sprout legs and dance on his table, "he laughed and clapped his hands. 'Delightful!' he exclaimed. 'Show me more.'" As with the misadventures of Fat Albert, kids reading Zigazak! should be careful--otherwise, they just might learn something. And that goes for both Hanukkah minutiae and the wise rabbi's moral: "Sparks of holiness exist in all things, even in devils' tricks. And if we look hard enough, we can find the good in all living creatures." (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes