Ballad of Valentine
Love Monster
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What is Love?
Tag: Holidays
Hanukkah Bear
Hanukkah Bear (2013)
written by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka
Bubba Brayna’s delicious-smelling latkes attract a very large and hungry guest whom the elderly woman mistakes for the rabbi. The good-natured Bubba Brayna encourages her guest to enjoy an evening of Hanukkah activities and traditions, despite some initial confusion and resistance by Bear.
This is a sweet, fun story for Hanukkah, and I absolutely adore Wohnoutka’s illustrations of Bubba Brayna and her cottage.
You might also like:
Bear Snores On
Hanukkah books list
Latkes, Latkes, Good to Eat
Latkes, Latkes, Good to Eat by Naomi Howland (1999)
Sadie and her four younger brothers are poor and hungry, until Sadie is given a magic frying pan in return for her kindness to an old woman. Now she can cook batches of golden, lacy latkes, but only she knows the magic words to start and stop the cooking. Things get out of control when her brothers’ curiosity gets the better of them. But all ends well with a very merry Chanukah gathering.
A retelling of Brothers Grimm “Sweet Porridge,” this folktale leaves me wishing I, too, had a magic latke pan. With a recipe included and scrumptious descriptions of these lacy potato treats, this book inspires me to get cooking.
You might also enjoy:
Hanukkah book list
The Ballad of Valentine
The Ballad of Valentine (2002)
written by Alison Jackson, pictures by Tricia Tusa
A man tries everything he can to deliver a valentine to his sweetheart, but his plans continue to go awry. Little does he realize (although the reader sees), his sweetheart is cooking up a valentine of her own for him. This is a delightful Valentine’s book written to the format of the song, “Oh, My Darling Clementine.”
An Awesome Book of Thanks
An Awesome Book of Thanks (2010) by Dallas Clayton
This self-published book has delightful rhymes, fun and unique illustrations, and a positive message. An Awesome Book of Thanks points out all the things we can be grateful for in life, from the “ocean deep” to the “desert dry,” but also for goofy things like “alligator acrobats.” One page shows us in pictures all the little things we may forget to be grateful for—mailboxes, hangers, fire hydrants, lamps, etc. The author also reminds us that even “bad things” can turn out to be good. This book is engaging, simple, and silly with a positive message. We love reading this book and remembering to say “Thank You” for all that we’ve got.
(This could be a good book for Thanksgiving.)