Barbara Brown (1) (1964–)

As a young Alaskan girl goes about her winter activities, from attending school mostly in the dark to making dreidels in the snow with her friends, she also makes every effort to drive the moose which has taken up residence in her yard, eating all of the bark off the trees, away from the tree holding her favorite blue swing. But nothing she offers as a tempting treat, from carrots to cookies, seems to interest the moose. Then, on the last night of Hanukkah, when her family is outside show more witnessing the beauty of the Northern Lights, a celestial occurrence that feels very significant to people observing the Festival of Lights, the girl comes up with the perfect solution: latkes!

An engaging tale of a young Jewish girl in Alaska, one which highlights the realities of winter-time in the far north, Hanukkah in Alaska isn't really a story about the holiday as such, but rather a story set during the holiday, which incorporates some of its rituals and observances into the narrative. For children who do not live in Alaska, Barbara Brown's tale will provide them a window into life in that state, just as it will highlight the religious diversity to be found there. A brief afterword gives more information about the story of the revolt of the Maccabees and the miracle in the temple, which the holiday of Hanukkah commemorates. The artwork, created by Stacye Schuett in acrylic and gouache, is colorful and appealing, with a nice contrast provided between the cold, bluish scenes occurring outdoors, and the warm, earthy-toned scenes taking place indoors. Schuett also illustrated Michelle Edwards' Papa's Latkes, another Hanukkah picture-book I have enjoyed. Recommended to anyone looking for Hanukkah stories where the focus is less on explaining the holiday than on the lives of the children who celebrate it, as well as to anyone searching for books about Jewish children in geographically diverse locations. show less

What a delightful book! Thanks to my friend Brina for reviewing it and bringing it to my attention.
I loved the role of the moose and especially since it was realistic. The artist really captured moose. And the story captured why one must be soooooo careful around moose. We live "Outside" (which you wll understand if you read the book) and my daughter has a cabin. A moose in the area adopted the swingset with wood braces for it's own personal, private scratching post. So my granddaughter has show more had to learn to be careful about a moose too! show less

I had mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed finding a winter book about Hanukkah when most winter books are typically about Christmas. I also enjoyed learning about the culture of Alaska in wintertime, which is something that not many people know about. For instance, Barbara Brown says, "In Alaska in winter we have to watch out for moose. We have to look both ways when we go out the door making sure there are no moose around." This is a unique fact that I didn't know about! show more However, I did not like that the book did not talk about Hanukkah that much. The majority of the book was spent talking about the moose in Alaska and how troublesome they can be, with intermittent Hanukkah themes like feeding the moose latkes and the Aurora Borealis reminding her of Hanukkah candles or the festival of lights. When a book has Hanukkah in the title, themes of Hanukkah should be prominent throughout the story, not just every once in a while. show less

I loved this book because it is such a great story that many children can relate to. This is a perfect book to read during the winter time and for Hanukkah. This book is about a young girl who describes what Alaska is like. She doesn't like the moose in Alaska because they are everywhere. Also, it is dark for most of the time in Alaska and it is always snowing. The girl than learns how to deal with the moose and how to embrace where she lives. The language is descriptive. The language show more includes details on what Alaska is like. The descriptive words really make the reader picture Alaska. The writing is engaging and you get lost into the story. The story is also paced very well. The characters are well-developed and very believable. The young girl in the story can be relatable to any reader, especially for those who live in Alaska. Also, the readers can be relatable to the girl if they celebrate Hanukkah too. This book is written in first person point of view. It is written from the young girl’s point of view. The plot is organized and paced. There is suspense when the girl’s parents tell her to go outside. Finally the girl looked up and she saw the northern lights. The illustrations enhance the story and fit the written text. The illustrations look like they were painted with water color. The northern lights were beautifully illustrated and it made the story come to life. This book pushes the reader to embrace where you come from. show less