The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes (Albert Whitman Prairie Books (Paperback))

Of the many joys of Hanukkah, the joining of family and friends is perhaps the greatest. This is why young Rachel and her family are especially eager to have their dear elderly neighbor Mrs. Greenberg over for Hanukkah dinner. But every year their neighbor refuses, not wanting to be a bother. One year, on the last night of Hanukkah, Rachel's mother discovers that she has run out of potatoes for the latkes. Maybe Mrs. Greenberg will come for dinner if we borrow some of her potatoes, suggests Rachel. And off she runs into the snowy purple night to see if her plan will work. Author Linda Glaser (Rosie's Birthday Rat) has a keen understanding of a child's perspective: "Mrs. Greenberg's house was always clean and tidy, like its face was just scrubbed and its blouse was tucked in, while Rachel's house always looked like it was still in its pajamas and needed to brush its hair yet." Rachel succeeds in procuring the potatoes, but it takes a "stubborn-as-an-ox" girl to get a "stubborn-as-an-ox" woman to share their Hanukkah dinner. Rachel's ingenious eventual entrapment of Mrs. Greenberg--along with her rosy red cheeks and unruly orange braids--make her an excellent ambassador for a story about the heart of Hanukkah. Lively, cartoonish illustrations by Nancy Cote enliven this already vivacious holiday tale. (Ages 4 and older) --Gail Hudson