Lauren L. Wohl

A cute book and an original storyline.

Although....it is a bit confusing in conclusion. We are told repeatedly that this is a teeny tiny house, in which is a teeny tiny woman, who is trying to make enough noise for someone to dig her house out of the leaves that have fallen and completely covered it. We are even visually shown this by the words teeny tiny, and any object and/or person they are describing, always being teeny tiny....which is adorable. She is so teeny tiny that her voice isn't show more loud enough to hear. In the end , she bakes cookies hoping the smell will lure someone. When help arrives, it's in the form of children out trick or treating...in the middle of the woods apparently.... they're her size and after digging out her house, they come in for cookies. This defeats the entire premise of the story for numerous obvious reasons.

All in all...it's a cute and unique story. show less

I liked this story of the little kid who was assigned to make a menorah at Jewish school -- he knew his family already had so many menorahs that were important to their family, but his teacher kept saying it would be okay.

They were both right, because he figures out the right home for the menorah.

I loved the relationship of the kid with his grandmother, and the matter-of-factness about everyday life. It made the book really relatable to little kids.

I bet the school craft dilemma is show more common, too. show less

I liked this story of the little kid who was assigned to make a menorah at Jewish school -- he knew his family already had so many menorahs that were important to their family, but his teacher kept saying it would be okay. [return][return]They were both right, because he figures out the right home for the menorah. [return][return]I loved the relationship of the kid with his grandmother, and the matter-of-factness about everyday life. It made the book really relatable to little kids. show more [return][return]I bet the school craft dilemma is common, too. show less

In my opinion this is an exceptional book. Sam the main character is conflicted because he knows that his parents already have several menorahs and doesn’t know who to give the handmade menorah, which he made in Sunday school.
The writing in this book is engaging and captures your attention right from the beginning. For example, the author opens with a scene of the students collecting items in a park. This hooks the reader because it brings out the curiosity of what they might be doing show more with the items they are collecting in the park. The plot of the story introduces the conflict at the beginning of the story and hints to what Sam can do with the menorah he has made. When introduced to the solution it is inferred based on the telephone conversations that he has with his grandmother. His grandmother only has an electric menorah and so the conflict is resolved because Sam gives the menorah to his grandmother as a gift to keep in the community room of her apartment building to share with the other residents. This is another example as to how the reader draws the reader in by presenting a conflict and hooking the reader’s interests in finding out the solution to the problem.
As you read each page the illustrations seem to walk you through each description read on the page. For example when Sam explains that his parents already have so many menorahs and don’t need anymore, the picture on the page shows his parents standing in front of seven different menorahs asking him which one they should use this years celebration.
The main idea or concept of this story is the gift of giving. The book centers on the idea of selflessness and giving gifts to others who are in need. Sam realized that his grandmother could use the menorah so he gave it to her instead. This book is also about showing love to family and friends during the holiday season. show less