On the First Night of Chanukah

by Cecily Kaiser, Brian Schatell (Illustrations)

In this Chanukah twist on a favorite song, young readers can count down the eight nights of Chanukah with special gifts on every page!

On the first night of Chanukah, my mother gave to me
A menorah burning bright for all to see!

Sung to the tune and rhythm of the popular "The Twelve Days of Christmas," this 8x8 paperback introduces young readers to the traditions of Chanukah. Gifts of latkes, gelt, dreidels, donuts, and much more celebrate this very special holiday! Back matter and a glossary explain the history and traditions of Chanukah.

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Holiday, Picture Books

24 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2007

Reviews

[Set · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know that the Jewish people are traumatized after WWII so I'll try to not be so harsh. I pick up a lot of modern Jewish illustrated books and it's become obvious that it's always the same scenario. The Jewish people are always depicted as blond and redhead with just the males being brunette. Do they only want to represent Ashkenazi Jews in Europe and not in the motherland of Israel? This is truly a shame because I have so many Jewish friends and the vast majority are brunette males and FEMALES.
In this book, the mom, older and younger sister are blond; the uncle, aunt and twin cousins are redheads and the grandparents are gray haired.

Aside from that predictability, I did not expect this to be a Jewish rendition of the 12 days of CHRISTMAS. Why get a Christian song and change it to celebrate a Jewish holiday? There are soooooo many amazing Jewish songs that could have been translated to celebrate CHANUKAH.

[Ellice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this right after The Eight Nights of Hanukkah, it occurs to me that it could not be a more different approach to the Jewish holiday. It is very minimal in text, which is, oddly, set to the pattern of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Why? I am not sure. But that song is now stuck in my head.

Overall, an OK but forgettable Hanukkah picture book.

[Sheli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book to read aloud to my students! And a quick easy way to teach them about Chanukah!

[Monroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book! I love the illustrations and seeing the Hanukkah celebration grow each page, with such cute ways of showing all of the items across the characters.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about On the First Night of Chanukah. I love that it is easy to read being less in depth than The Eight Nights of Hanukkah but I'm irked by the way the book is begging to be sung to the tune of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Having the song just constantly lingering makes the story too kitschy.

On the hand, I really like Brian Schatell's illustrations. Except for the Saturday Night Fever cover, Schatell's illustrations are both cute and informative. There is more useful information packed in his drawings than there is in the accompanying text.

I think the two books work well together. On the First Night... can get children in the mood for the holiday while Eight Nights... can answer questions about the holiday.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the First Night of Chanukah tells how Jewish families celebrate the holiday of Chanukah with gifts and family get togethers. This is a great book to introduce multicultural differences using a the rhyme of a familiar poem.

[Jayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick catchy ditty about Chanukah to the tune of twelve days of Christmas. Its cute and brings in different beliefs in the classroom.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read at drop-in story time on 12/14/12: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...