Alan Silberberg

The Hanukkah story meets Star Trek in this hilarious new picture-book from author/artist Alan Silberberg, with a little bit of the Trojan War thrown in for good measure. As the clueless Latke Family celebrates the Festival of Lights, Grandpa Latke proceeds to tell little Lucy the tale of how Judah and the Mega-Bees fought off the Alien Potatoes from Planet Chhhhh, who were determined to destroy the Jewish people and their temple. Lucy's dog Applesauce struggles to tell the real story, but show more Grandpa carries on with his crazy tale, which comes complete with warrior-bees hidden inside a massive wooden dreidel, and the invention of the first latkes (made from splattered aliens). Will Applesauce ever manage to set the record straight...?

I picked up Meet the Latkes with fairly low expectations, if I'm being honest. Sometimes these "funny" picture-books are hit or miss with me - my funny-bone is notoriously difficult to tickle - and I tend to prefer sweeter and/or more poignant holiday stories, rather than the more lighthearted ones. That said, I quickly found myself laughing aloud at Grandpa Latke's over-the-top narrative here, and Applesauce's resultant indignant sputtering. The artwork is colorful and accentuates the humor of the story, with Applesauce's interjections in increasingly dramatic speech bubbles. I think the humor here works best if you know the real story of Hanukkah, but with that proviso, this is one I'd recommend to readers looking for humorous holiday tales for their celebration of the Festival of Lights. show less

It's chaos at Latke's house over the course of the eight nights of Hanukkah in this new holiday board book for the youngest children. Bright colorful artwork is paired with a simple text describing how Latke lights the menorah the first night, how applesauce and sour cream get into an argument on the second, and how the spinning dreidels make themselves dizzy on the third. So it goes, until the eighth night, when the house is full of light...

After finding author/illustrator Alan Silberberg's show more 2018 Meet the Latkes unexpectedly delightful—humorous picture books can be hit or miss with me, but I found that one hilarious!—I was excited to discover that he had a new Hanukkah book out this year (2023). I read the digital edition, although I understand that the print copy is in board book format. I wasn't as impressed with this one, as I was with Meet the Latkes, but then, there's not really much of a story here, just a string of zany Hanukkah antics, building up to the eighth night of the holiday. That said, for the intended audience of infants and very young children, I think the bright colors and counting structure here will work just fine, and it is to them that I would recommend the book. show less

Milo is struggling on many fronts: making friends at a new school, navigating a confusing friendship (or romance?) with a girl who keeps putting notes in his locker, and quelling a massive crush on the "it" girl at his school. But the mountain of hurt underneath it all is the death of his mother, now gone two years, that he has not been able to come to grips with. What's it going to take to get him to begin facing it? To begin breaking his father's shell of silence? To begin to feel again? A show more surprising new friendship makes the difference, and his method for healing is unusual and heart-warming. Written in the style of a journal with cartoon sketches interspersed, this will appeal to fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but is thematically very different. show less

As Milo's story begins, you think he's just another hapless new kid in middle school, crushing on the cutest girl in the class and complaining about his teachers. But we eventually see that Milo's mother died and he's still missing her, but has been unable to find an outlet for expressing his pain. His friends Marshall and Hillary are supportive as he finds his way through the "fog" of grief, and the widow neighbor Sophia is key to inspiring his outward expression. Humorous and kid-friendly show more but touching, too. show less