Latke's First Hanukkah

by Alan Silberberg, Alan Silberberg (Illustrator)

Overview

Now even the youngest readers can celebrate Hanukkah by joining Latke and his zany friends for an eight-night-long party!

Alan Silberberg brings his signature humor to the board book audience with a silly, accessible introduction to Hanukkah. Latke is having a party to celebrate the miracle of the oil, and before the holiday is over, all his friends will join him.

On the first night of Hanukkah, the latke lights the menorah.
On the second night of Hanukkah, the gelt gets sweet and giddy...
The party grows and grows until the eighth night of Hanukkah, when Latke's home is full and all eight candles on the menorah are lit (plus the shamas!).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593623183
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	10/10/2023
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	16
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

Alan Silberberg is an award-winning author, cartoonist, and children’s TV creator who has worked with Nickelodeon and Disney. Though he messed up at his bar mitzvah, he’s made up for it by celebrating Hanukkah, Passover, and Purim in the trilogy of books that combines food with funny. Latke's First Hanukkah is his first board book. You can meet Alan at silberbooks.com.

Editorial Reviews

08/28/2023

With this counting board book, Silberberg, a regular bard of Jewish holiday foods, introduces a potato pancake protagonist who, night by night, hosts a humdinger of a Hanukkah. In brightly colored, genially goofy cartoons, Applesauce and Sour Cream get into a second-night fight over which is the best topping (“Oy,” says Latke, rolling its eyes). On the third night, the arrival of spinning dreidels dizzies the protagonist. And on the seventh night, the presents get into a wrestling match. But these antics are minor hosting hiccups when compared to the warm glow of the menorah—which moves to various sites in Latke’s house as each candle is lighted—and the joy of being surrounded by rambunctious friends, many of whom take the form of favorite Jewish treats (“Babka! Challah! Bagel!”). Ages up to 3. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

09/01/2023

Toddler-PreS—Silberberg's latkes return in this simple Hanukkah counting book that will work best for families already familiar with the holiday. The text consists of one sentence per spread. Each sentence mentions a night of Hanukkah, depicting the lit menorah as well as the corresponding number of whatever is being mentioned, all personified: one Latke, two toppings, three dreidels, four sufganiyot, and so on. "On the 1st night of Hanukkah, Latke lights the menorah." "On the 3rd night of Hanukkah, the dreidels drop by, dizzy." The final spread has all the personified items depicted, with nothing corresponding to the number eight, other than the lit candles. There is no explanation of the significance of any of the items, making it completely obscure to those unfamiliar with the holiday. Illustrations are brightly colored and cartoon-style; backgrounds are done in bright, saturated colors, and the characters are all depicted with heavy outlines, huge round-pupil eyes, and sticklike lines for arms and legs. The menorah is filled with bright, candy-colored candles topped with glowing flames. Jewish schools and libraries, as well as public libraries with large Jewish clientele, will find this a pleasant enough addition for their youngest patrons. It won't make sense to the uninitiated. VERDICT Buy where Silberberg's other titles are popular or Hanukkah board books are in high demand. Others can pass.—Amy Lilien-Harper

School Library Journal