The Dreidel that Wouldn't Spin: A Toyshop Tale of Hanukkah

by Martha Seif Simpson, Durga Yael Bernhard (Illustrator)

Overview

“This dreidel doesn’t work!” the father had cried. “What do you mean? How can a dreidel not work?” the shopkeeper asked. It was certainly the most beautiful spinning top the shopkeeper had ever seen, with magical golden letters on its sides. But it just would not spin for two spoiled children who insisted on owning it! Later, the shopkeeper decides to try it one last time: would it spin for another child, one who carried the true spirit of Hanukkah in his heart? In this beautiful holiday story by award-winning author Martha Simpson, and brought to life by the imaginative illustrations of award-winning illustrator D. Yael Bernhard, the happiness and joy of the Hanukkah miracle will warm the heart of young and old alike with its simple message: wonders still occur for those who are ready for them. Included is a useful appendix that explains Hanukkah, and an explanation on how to play the dreidel game.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781937786281
Publisher:	Wisdom Tales
Publication date:	10/01/2014
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	530L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Martha Seif Simpson is an author and children’s librarian. She has served as the Head of Children’s Services at the Stratford Library Association in Stratford, CT for the last twenty years. She is the author of five professional books for teachers and librarians. Her first children’s book What NOT to Give Your Mom on Mother's Day was released in 2013. She lives in Hamden, CT. D. Yael Bernhard is an award-winning illustrator and author of many fiction and non-fiction books for children, including natural science titles and multicultural folktales. She is also a children’s teacher of Hebrew, Judaics, and illustration. Ms. Bernhard is also a fine artist known for her religious and family-themed pieces. She lives in Shandaken, NY.

Editorial Reviews

09/15/2014
Contrary to what the title says, the dreidel it mentions will spin—it just won’t spin for the spoiled, greedy kids who are its first and second owners. Once it’s in the hands of a child “of simple means,” who understands that “the miracle of Hanukkah truly could not be bought,” the dreidel spins “for several minutes, longer than any dreidel they had ever seen.” The colorful drawings by Bernhard (Never Say a Mean Word Again) evoke Judaism’s Eastern European past, but overwriting by Simpson, a children’s librarian as well as author (What NOT to Give Your Mom on Mother’s Day), tends to swamp the otherwise nifty premise. Ages 5–up. Illustrator’s agent: Ronnie Ann Herman, Herman Agency. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

10/01/2014
K-Gr 2—In this gentle parable, a peddler gives a splendorous Hanukkah dreidel to the greedy owner of a toy shop with the admonishment that "…the miracle of Hanukkah cannot be bought." In turn, the shopkeeper sells the one-of-a-kind dreidel to a wealthy man at a substantial price, but the next day the man and his spoiled daughter return it, demanding their money back because the dreidel will not spin. A similar scenario ensues with a mother and son who have the same complaint, yet the shopkeeper finds that he can spin the dreidel without trouble. Confused, he puts it away, until a poor man and his son enter the shop, content simply to look at all the wonderful toys. Moved by their humble and gracious manner, the shopkeeper hands the dreidel to the boy, who is able to twirl it for several minutes, causing the message on it to transform from the traditional "A great miracle happened there" to "A small miracle happened here." Folkloric watercolor illustrations in a pale palette are appropriately soft in tone while images of the toys offering their own expressive impressions of the goings-on inject a bit of humor. A lovely choice for those wishing to circumvent the more commercial aspects of the holiday.—Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library

School Library Journal

2014-08-12
A child's innocent appreciation for life's small wonders transforms a shopkeeper's business attitude during the busy selling season of Hanukkah. The owner of the small toyshop is immediately intrigued with the potential of a large profit if he can sell a peddler's oversized, elaborately painted dreidel. Ignoring the peddler's statement that "the miracle of Hanukkah cannot be bought," the shopkeeper places the new dreidel prominently in the window, attracting the attention of a spoiled girl who demands her father buy it. But the dreidel will not spin for the girl, so she returns it for a refund the next day. An equally arrogant boy buys the dreidel and returns it for the same reason, leaving the shopkeeper mystified. Finally, a poor child enters the shop and lovingly admires the beautiful dreidel as a symbol of Hanukkah. When he is coaxed by the shopkeeper to spin it, the dreidel spins for several minutes, magically changing its letters as it falls to indicate a poignant message. The shopkeeper decides to gift the special dreidel to this poor but respectful boy. Simpson uses familiar European folk-tale motifs, which Bernhard matches with acrylic paintings of an Old World setting; both illustrate how humility outshines greed and arrogance. Backmatter explains the real miracle of Hanukkah and the holiday's significance as well as rules for playing dreidel. A sweet original tale with a timeless, though not holiday-specific message (Picture book. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews