Amye Rosenberg

Melly's Menorah is an adorable book about a little gopher girl whose family celebrates Hanukkah in their new house for the first time. This book allows those of Jewish faith to relate to the story. However, the book does not educate children about Hanukkah however. The text and illustrations touch upon the use of a menorah, a dreidel, and latkes for dinner. The text did not explain the importance or meaning of each related item. If a child was reading this who has not experienced a Jewish show more holiday before, they would not understand the relevance of the topics. In the back of the book, there is a page of 5 Hanukkah related words. Their definitions or meanings are included but the significance is not. This book offers a very good learning opportunity that includes a minority religion in most areas but did not cater towards children lacking knowledge about Hanukkah. This deficit is the reason I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5. show less

"Melly's Menorah" is a wonderful story that is wrapped around the life of little Melly and her Jewish family getting ready for Hanukkah. The big message for readers is that even though the youngest child may not be able to help with everything, they are still capable of creating and doing very special things. I really enjoyed how Melly went around the house and tried to have fun by herself because each family member was busy. Her brother vacuumed up her Hanukkah cards, her mother was in the show more bathroom wrapping presents and her Grandmother was in the kitchen baking. I am the youngest in my family and I can relate to exactly how Melly is feeling. All we want to do is help our older siblings and the rest of our family but sometimes we are just in the way. I think the main reason I liked this story was because in the end, after all of the troubles Melly faced during the day, the family came together and celebrated Hanukkah in a peaceful environment. The family was at the table eating all of the delicious food, singing songs and appreciating one another's presence. show less

ISBN 0307020010 - My Christmas book collection couldn't possibly be complete without Amye Rosenberg's The Biggest, Most Beautiful Christmas Tree. This edition, in paperback, isn't my favorite, only because the book gets a lot of reading and wear; I prefer the hardcover.

In the trunk of a large fir tree in the forest, there are three cozy homes. Mr. and Mrs. Fieldmouse live on the first floor and Old Gray Acorn, a squirrel, lives on the top floor. In the middle, there are the Chipmunks, a show more family of four, including Little Nina and Nutley. Each Christmas, the children prepare for Santa's visit - and each year, he doesn't come. This year, Mom and Dad throw a party to cheer them up. Aunt Mim, their favorite aunt, comes and, when the kids tell her why they're sad, she has a great idea. She thinks Santa doesn't come because their house just looks like any other tree, so they will decorate their tree to be sure Santa can't possibly miss it. Everyone pitches in and they all agree - it's the biggest, most beautiful Christmas tree in the world. When Santa finally does find them, a tradition is born.

As a kid, I found the book made me very sad, to think Santa could miss anyone! Even the happy resolution didn't make me feel better about it. Rosenberg is both author and illustrator and she's done a superb job. The illustrations, which take up all or almost all of every page, are engaging, fun and vivid. The details are nice, the colors are bright and they contribute so much to the story. The text is fairly simple and the story, like all good Christmas tales, does have the required happy ending, confirming that Santa doesn't overlook any child intentionally.

- AnnaLovesBooks show less

The story of the son of the Easter Bunny who must finish her deliveries when she stubs her toe. No Christ in Easter in this book. It's all about getting a jelly bean reward.