Publishers Weekly
★ 09/13/2021
Isaac and his best friend and neighbor Teresa, both of whom appear white, have a lot in common: “They both loved playing in the snow,/ counting down to the holidays,// and thought you couldn’t have too many sprinkles on a cookie.” But Isaac is a member of the town’s Jewish minority—“On a block dressed up in Red and Green,/ one house shone Blue and White”—and his family’s menorah window display becomes the target of a hate crime. Wind’s lightly fictionalized version of the 1993 incident wherein a community stood up to bigotry, taping pictures of menorahs to their own windows in solidarity, is conveyed with lyrical simplicity. The visual treatment here is particularly striking—Caldecott Medalist Zelinsky’s vibrant digital art has the bold, rough-hewn textures of scratch block, and dramatic compositions that recall sweeping cinematography emphasize fraught emotions in this moving historical tale that encourages taking a stand. Back matter features an author’s note that provides additional historical context. Ages 4–7. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
Affecting. This moving tribute to religious pluralism will uplift children.” - Wall Street Journal ,
[STAR] “Vibrant and compassionate. [A] spirited picture book that models allyship.”-Shelf-Awareness (starred),
“The true meaning of the holiday season shines here.” -Kirkus Reviews,
[STAR] “A strong addition to holiday stories, one that can be reread and rediscovered many times and whose theme of community support and friendship is appropriate year-round.” -School Library Connection (starred),
[STAR] “Caldecott Medalist Zelinsky’s vibrant digital art has the bold, rough-hewn textures of scratch block, and dramatic compositions that recall sweeping cinematography emphasize fraught emotions in this moving historical tale that encourages taking a stand.”-Publishers Weekly (starred),
[STAR] “Captures the celebratory joys of the season. ”-The Horn Book (starred),
“[A] moving tale about community solidarity.”-Foreword Reviews,
“Vibrant and compassionate...Wind and Zelinsky's offering gives young readers an inspirational, empathy-building story about honoring your identity and standing up against hate. Stronger together, indeed.” -Shelf-Awareness,
"Wind’s pitch-perfect text is elegantly spare, accessible on many levels, and lyrical enough to invite multiple read-alouds. Caldecott Medalist Paul O. Zelinsky’s gorgeous art captures the magic of holiday lights in the night, and expresses the story’s shifting moods - from playful, to briefly worrying, to heartwarming. RED AND GREEN AND BLUE AND WHITE is an important, inspiring story about the power of love to overcome hate, a timely and inclusive take on the Chanukah theme of light overcoming darkness, and a strong contender for the Sydney Taylor Book Award.”-Sydney Taylor Schmooze ,
"Red and Green and Blue and White is a wonderful story about standing up for what is right, supporting others and respecting differences. Excellent illustrations complement the text. This is an important book for parents to read with their children and for teachers to share with their students.”-Glenn Perrett, Syndicated Columnist, Metroland Media,
[STAR] “A powerful and inspiring example of community, friendship, respect, and love.”-School Library Journal (starred),
"This lovely picture book deals with the difficult topic of antisemitism beautifully, in an accessible and age appropriate way.” -Association of Jewish Libraries, Holiday Highlight
“Affecting. This moving tribute to religious pluralism will uplift children.” - Wall Street Journal ,
“We come together in strength. It's a message the world can use, throughout the year.” -The New York Times,
“A spectacular book.”-Julie Danielson, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast,
School Library Journal
★ 11/01/2021
Gr 1–5—In The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate, Janice Cohn described in great detail how the people of Billings, Montana, joined together in 1993 to fight a series of hate crimes against one of their Jewish neighbors. Wind has simplified this true story with beautiful, poetic text paired with Zelinksy's rich, layered, and stunning illustrations. On Chanukah, Isaac lights the menorah in his front window, making his house glow blue and white in the night, "on a block dressed up in Red and Green." When a rock smashes Isaac's window, his family is afraid to light their menorah. But, "if they didn't, Isaac knew it would be like hiding they were Jewish. That didn't feel right." In a simple act of compassion and solidarity, Isaac's best friend and neighbor, Teresa, affixes a hand-drawn picture of a menorah to her front window, so that "through the paper, the light shone Blue and White." Others followed Teresa's example, and within three weeks menorahs were displayed in more than 10,000 windows so that the entire town glowed "Red and Green and Blue and White." While the source of the violence is never stated or explained, the dark, expressive illustrations depict the scary, emotional scene with sensitivity. A brief author's note explains, "the people in Billings chose to not just stand by and be BYstanders while bad things happened to others .They chose to be UPstanders." VERDICT A powerful and inspiring example of community, friendship, respect, and love.—Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL
Kirkus Reviews
2021-07-30
Kids teach a valuable lesson about community spirit.
A city block is ablaze with red and green lights for Christmas; one house glows blue and white for Hanukkah. This is where Isaac, a Jewish boy, lives, across the street from best friend Teresa, excitedly preparing for Christmas. They love lighting up their homes in holiday colors. After an antisemitic bigot smashes a window in Isaac’s house, Isaac relights the menorah the next night, knowing if his family doesn’t, it means hiding their Jewishness, which doesn’t “feel right.” Artistic Teresa supports Isaac by drawing a menorah, inscribed to her friend, and placing the picture in her window. What occurs subsequently is a remarkable demonstration of community solidarity for Isaac and his family from everyone, including the media. Galvanized into defiant action against hate, thousands of townspeople display menorahs in windows in residences and public buildings. This quiet, uplifting tale is inspired by an incident that occurred in Billings, Montana, in 1993. Readers will feel heartened at children’s power to influence others to stand up for justice and defeat vile prejudice. The colorful illustrations, rendered digitally with brushes of the artist’s devising, resemble scratch art. Isaac and Teresa are White, and there is some racial diversity among the townspeople; one child is depicted in a wheelchair. An author’s note provides information about the actual event.
The true meaning of the holiday season shines here. (Picture book. 5-8)
