Malka Drucker

Molly and her grandmother make latkes together in this engaging and educational Hannukah story, in which cooking is combined with history. Picking up some useful kitchen tips - like fishing broken eggshells out of a bowl with another piece of egg shell - Molly also learns the ancient story of the Maccabees and their revolt against Antiochus, as well as the miracle which occurred in the temple, after the tyrant was overthrown. Grandma's delicious recipe (with instructions to get an adult to show more help) is included at the rear.

I found Grandma's Latkes to be an enjoyable family holiday story, one that features a warm grandmother-granddaughter relationship, and appealing woodcut illustrations. My two-fold caveat in recommending it would be 1) grandma tells Molly that the ancient Jews, although they didn't have Hanukkah, cultivated and ate potatoes, which is difficult to imagine, as they were native to South America, and weren't introduced to the rest of the world until after 1492 (this sort of mistake, although small, always bothers me); and 2) the description of the beginning of the Maccabean revolt has Mattathias murdering, not just the soldier sent to tempt him with pork, but the "grubby man" who considers eating pork himself. Although I understand the historical context, having such an event depicted in such an unquestioningly heroic fashion was a little troubling to me. I guess we're meant to understand that he's a (grubby) traitor, and that that is what one does with traitors? In any case, leaving these two issues aside, I do think this was otherwise a sweet little story, and recommend it (with the caveat that adults should discuss some of the issues with young readers) to those looking for family stories at Hanukkah. show less

A welcome addition to Holocaust literature, this work presents a series of 49 personal reminiscences of non-Jewish citizens in various European nations who risked their lives to hide resident Jews from the Nazi horror. Most of those interviewed felt their actions were done out of friendship and for people caught in a web of hatred and anti-Semitism. They did not feel that they were acting heroically but that they were doing what was right. Portraits by Block of each of the rescuers accompany show more the text. These 49 are representative of the 9,295 rescuers honoured at the Yad Vashem in Israel. This is recommended reading for general readers as well as for college and university libraries.A landmark volume that includes maps, historic photographs from family collections, a comprehensive Introduction by Malka Drucker, and a Prologue by Cynthia Ozick and Faces: An Afterword by Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis and Gay Block’s color portraits of the rescuers, shown at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in 1992. show less

This book is at the top of my favorites list for a few reasons: I LOVE books that go through the alphabet, as they help children learn their letters, and it was about a Jewish Holiday. I am not Jewish, so I do not know much about it, but I am always interested in learning. This book showed me many things that I was unaware of. This would be a great writing model for children, as it has a focus on the letters of the alphabet and is not in the typical paragraph format. There are many ways to show more write and, although paragraphs are important, they are not the only way. show less

Set in Poland between 1951 and 1995, this is the story of how Alex and Mela Roslan saved Jacob and his brother during the holocaust. Despite fears of the Nazi's and the consequences of being caught hiding Jews, Alex and Mela show remarkable courage as they fight to protect Jacob and his brother. Often gritty and emotional, this book is quick to catch your attention. It is a wonderful introduction to the issues faced during World War II.