One Candle

For one family the traditional Hanukkah celebration has a deeper meaning. Amidst the food and the festivities, Grandma and Great-Aunt Rose begin their story -- the one they tell each year. They pass on to each generation a tale of perseverance during the darkest hours of the Holocaust, and the strength it took to continue to honor Hanukkah in the only way they could. Their story reaffirms the values of tradition and family, but also shows us that by continuing to honor the tragedies and the triumphs of the past there will always be hope for the future.

An extended family celebrates Hanukkah, while also recalling the horrors of the Holocaust, in this gentle, contemplative picture-book from the prolific Eve Bunting. Every year, the young narrator's Grandma and Great-Aunt Rose perform the same ritual at the close of Hanukkah dinner: carving out the inside of a potato, filling it with oil, and creating a homemade candle, they tell the story of their experiences in a concentration camp, and the time they created just such a candle, smuggling a tiny potato out of the kitchen in which they were forced to work, and lighting a single light, back in their barracks, to mark the "Festival of Lights."

I feel like this book did everything "right." The story was poignant, without being overdone, show more emphasizing the importance of remembering the past, especially at the holidays. The illustrations by K. Wendy Popp were somber and moving, with a photographic quality that was quite intense at times. But somehow, although I acknowledge the virtues of the book, and was moved by it, I simply didn't feel as much of an emotional connection as I'd expected. Perhaps I read it at the wrong time? In any case, One Candle is still a book I'd recommend to those looking to explore, with children, the "presence of the past" in a family's life, particularly at the holidays. show less

One Candle, written by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Wendy Popp, tells the story of a family celebrating Hanukkah together. Over dinner, the grandmother and great-aunt retell the story of their imprisonment in Buchenwald, a German concentration camp. While imprisoned, they were assigned to cook for the officers in the camp, and during Hanukkah, they smuggled a potato from the kitchen, and used it to create a candle in their barracks. As they tell this story, they recreate this potato-candle tradition in the present. While listening to the story, the young granddaughter, surrounded by plenty of food at the dinner table, states that she "can't imagine going hungry." She doesn't know exactly why they recreate the potato-candle each year, show more but thinks that "it has to do with being strong in the bad time and remembering it in the good time." The grandmother shares her memories with vivid details, such as the fact that "we kept the dates on a hidden piece of paper." Other details can be found in the illustrations, showing the memories of Nazi soldiers with guns, guard dogs, and a swastika flag, along with the present-day details, including a menorah, dreidels, yarmulkes, and challah. The entire books' illustrations are in very muted colors, but the pages differentiate between memories of days in the camp, and the present-day Hanukkah dinner. The family dinner was created with shades of dark blue, dark red, brown, and cream. These images are juxtaposed with illustrations of the camp memories in shades of cream and a faded rust. In one particularly memorable illustration, readers see (on the left) the extended family seated at the table, with food galore. And on the right page, we see the seven young girls (the grandmother, great-aunt, and five others that lived in the barracks) looking in their direction, almost as if they are in the same room, wishing they could share in the feast. The books' themes of family, tradition, survival, and celebration are clearly felt by the reader. This story concludes with the family outside, looking in towards the flicker of the candle, toasting, "L'chayim!" show less

This is a testament to tradition, important, wonderful, sacred, never to be forgotten traditions. In this story, every Hanaukkah is filled with food, family and wonderful smells. While all the Mothers, Fathers, Aunts, Uncles, kid, Grandparents arrive the additional foods they bring are placed on the table with all the other very special foods that are part of the tradition.

The special tradition is the remembrance of the terrible camps for the Jews. The story told by the Grandmother and her sister, Rose. They were young when they worked in the kitchen preparing meals for the officers. Remembering all the wonderful food, none of which was for them, brought tears. In particular the tell the story of hiding one potato, with the terrible show more fear whey would be discovered and punished by the guard. Punishment could be death. Imagine the courage it took to steal just one potato.

The one potato was hollowed out and the pieces were shared. They had one candle for lighting the remaining hollow shell. A piece of thread was lit. That one lit candle lifted the spirits of those who celebrated.

This special time each year not only was for the celebration of those who were currently round the table, but in remembrance of those who sacrificed and did not make it through. The importance to celebrate was for the past in remembrance of the hope for the future. show less

This book is perhaps one of the best books I've ever all semester. The tone and word choice of the author really emits emotion and softness. There is foreshadow early in the story when Great Aunt Rose was crying. The girl's grandma recalls her time at the concentration camp at Buchenwald in Germany. The horror stories are retold in a way that children can understand. It is a family tradition using a hollow potato to light for Hannukah because it correlates with the Grandma's history. Great Aunt Rose's hysterical reaction really lets readers understand the severity of it. Rose had no courage to give to her sister but "You held me up," Grandma said. The raw potato was more delicious than candy, let's us know that they were starved and show more always hungry. I loved how the illustrator placed the potato next to the menorah. "The candle light lifted to the stars and in that moment we were also lifted to the stars." Such a beautiful way to end the story with hope and kindness. show less

I really liked the story “One Candle” by Eve Bunting. This inspiring, yet saddening story is how one family’s traditional Hanukkah celebration has a greater meaning. I liked how the point of view was from the young girl listening to her grandmother and great aunt tell their hardships. Being in the girl’s point of view allows young readers to understand history in a more basic way. This book pushes readers to think about tough times and be thankful for what they have. As the young girl narrates, “I am full from Mom’s delicious cooking. And there are still leftovers. I can’t imagine going hungry.” Thus, having to steal food, like her grandmother and great aunt, is unimaginable. I think the main message of this story is to show more be appreciative and thankful for what you have, comparing it to the difficult time during the Holocaust. show less

One Candle
By Eve Bunting (2004)

I liked One Candle by Eve Bunting for three reasons. First, I liked how the story illustrates Grandma and Great-Aunt Rose telling their story. Specifically, they tell a story about their time during the Holocaust, and the strength it took to continue to honor Hanukkah. It is neat how the illustrations depict Grandma and Great-Aunt Rose in the past and in the present. Second, I liked how Bunting incorporated many family generations in the story. This indicates that family, being together, is a necessity when celebrating Hanukkah. Lastly, I like how this book could be used to introduce young children to the Holocaust and Hanukkah. Overall, the “big idea” of One Candle is to emphasize the values of show more tradition and family and to introduce the theme of hope. show less