Maccabee!: The Story of Hanukkah

by Tilda Balsley

"Sometimes it only takes a few, who know what's right and do it, too." Judah and the little army of Maccabees fight to free Jerusalem from the cruel King Antiochus in this vibrant and action-filled rhyming version of the famous Hanukkah story.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Jewish, Holiday, Nonfiction, History

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful first book on Hanukkah! Simple yet covers the story well for children (or adults who finally decided to learn about this important Jewish holiday). I think that books for children are the perfect way to approach a subject that you know nothing about. Glad that I was able to understand why this holiday is so important to the Jewish people.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this books because it is about standing up for something that is right. I love this books!! Want to owne it!

[Constance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful!

Really enjoyed this book. Although for children, it's poetic rhythm catches the hearts of adults while imparting an important time in Jewish history. Although I have found no actual historical documents corroborating the event of the 8 day oil, it is a significant event that such a small band of Jews were able to defeat a much larger Army. God was definitely with them. Beautifully illustrated as well. I will be reading this as an intro to Hannukah to my grandkids for years to come.

[Kelley Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to Hanukkah for my rural Georgia Christian kiddos. I learned that Macabee means hammer, and one of my kiddos said, "Whoa, he is like Thor!" So there you go. We used that to talk about dreidels and then made latkes. The book was very approachable for my kindergarteners. They got that the city was trashed, and so they had to fix it. They all can tell me what a menorah is and that the light burned for eight days. Several of them got that Judah was the leader because he was praying and looking to God, so bonus points for them. All in all I would use it again. It doesn't hit the family nature of the holiday as well, but it does a great job beginning the history.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

We aren't Jewish so I'm not sure how someone who celebrates Hanukkah would like the book but I appreciated that it talked about the power struggle and the fighting in a way that didn't spook my 6 yr old. Also, the repeating theme of this book is that a few people doing the right thing can make a big difference and I think that is a good lesson to learn for every day life!

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frankie picked this out because Judah looked like a superhero on the front cover. I am clearly not well-versed in my Bible (raised Catholic! We had the book of Maccabees) because I still don’t fully understand how we got Hannakuh, but the story was well-written with a rhyme scheme that was mostly unforced.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the best kids book about Hanukkah I've read. I guess maybe that's not saying much? But anyway, it focuses on the fact that "it only takes a few" to stand up for what's right, and I like that.

[Alex at lost Haven Homestead · Rating 4 out of 5]

the historical basis for Hanukkah, a Jewish festival of lights, commemorating a revolt in the 2nd century BCE against the Seleucid Greek Empire.

This children friendly of history of the 1st Hanukkah and the revolt before.

[Zelie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes it only takes a few. Who know what's right, and do it, too.

[Jillybean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute poems that explain the story of Hanukkah! Kids liked it. Listened in the car.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and colorful.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best children's book I've read about the Maccabees!

[Jodi Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been teaching second grade, religious school, for the last 8 years in a secondary education program at my temple in Raleigh, NC. While researching Jewish children's books with an element of poetry and rhyme, I stumbled across this book called, "Maccabee! The Story of Hanukkah" written by Tilda Balsley. There are NOT a lot of Jewish children's books that present the history of Hanukkah in such an eloquent, powerful way. The poem verses, along with amazing illustrations, really draws the reader in. Most of the books on Hanukkah focus on a drop of oil that was only enough to light the Temple menorah for one day, yet sustained a vibrant light for a stretch of eight days. While this was a miracle, I do not believe that Hanukkah is celebrated to solely remember the oil lasting eight days. This holiday should also be remembered as the moment in history when the Jewish people fought and won their religious freedom from the Syrian Greeks. I love the author's focus on the war that took place between these Syrian Greeks in power and the "underdogs" i.e. the Jewish people. The lyric prose that was thoughtfully used to tell of the conditions that the Jewish people were faced with helped the reader imagine that time in history. As a support, David Harrington's drawings were vibrant, detailed and closely illustrated the author's poetry nicely. I was really delighted to see such a unique book, written in rhyming verses, geared to a Judaic topic that can be enjoyed by children ages 5 to 9. I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to sharing it with my students next Hanukkah.

If teaching this to a group of students of different faiths, I would encourage the students (2nd graders and 3rd graders) to focus on the repeating verse “Sometimes it only takes a few, who know what's right, and do it, too.” I would lead a discussion to help the children understand and formulate ideas of how this quote could be not only read, but put into action. I would provide 7-9 year old students with different mediums such as art supplies, modeling clay, music instruments, clothing and fabric markers, video camera or a voice recorder, pen and paper, et cetera so that they can express the above statement in their own way. However, I think for younger children, it would be a great opportunity to introduce them to Rodef Shalom, "a pursuer of peace." You could explain this concept to the students, and then as a class make a "Peace Book" with illustrations rather than words

[Aaron Siclovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is a legend of Hanukkah. Many years ago, the Greeks had many gods. King Antiochus told the Jewish people that they must bow down to all Greek gods and dress and eat as the Greeks did. Many Jewish people refused to obey the king, so in retaliation the king ordered servants to take the Greek statues to Jerusalem. His goal was to desecrate the Jewish holy places and kill the Jews who refused to obey him. A Jew named Mattathias stepped up to rally the faithful Jews and because he was old he appointed his son, Judah, to be their leader. There was a terrible fight and finally King Antiochus said there was too much blood shed, ending the battle. The faithful Jewish people returned to Jerusalem where they removed the Greek idols, repaired the alter, and the temple. The people found a new Menorah but they had just a very small amount of oil. They needed light containers of oil, but Judah told them they should not wait but to use the little bit of oil that they had. The Jewish people witnessed a miracle- the small amount of oil kept replenishing itself and they lit a new candle everyday until eight candles were lit.

This story kept repeating the phrase, "sometimes it only takes a few who know what is right and do it too." The last two pages of this book describes the celebration of Hanukkah and the Jewish traditions that the Jewish people observe. This traditional eight- days is called The Festival of Lights. It celebrates the Maccabees victory over the Syrian King Antiochus and the miracle that one small jug of oil kept supplying all eight candles of the Menorah with oil. David Harrington illustrated this book using dark pictures to depict the seriousness of the story. The excellent expressions on the faces helps explain the real meaning of Hanukkah very well, adding more reason for children to read this book.

[Stephanie Skolmoski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tilda Balsley tells the story of Hanukkah in great rhyme and rhythm. She tells simply about the Jewish struggles and how Judah Maccabee leads the Jews to victory against the Greeks. The Jews temple was left in a mess and yet they courageously clean it up. She tells about the miracle of lights. Balsley also adds some couplets about doing good. This book has some good information about the Jewish history surrounding Hanukkah.

The illustrations by David Harrington are colorful and packed with motion. A great book for this time of year!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

O.K. this isn't the best possible story, and I do wish it were more easily available in hardback, but it is a good start and wins on at least two counts: kids will actually want to read it and it focuses on the action story of the Maccabees instead of just the the warm loving focus of most holiday books. The repeated refrain of the rhyming text: Sometimes it only takes a few, Who know what's right and do it too, sends a clear message children can understand and appreciate.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rhyming text retells how Mattathias, his son Judah Maccabee, and other faithful Jews freed Jerusalem from King Antiochus, who wanted to impose the Greek gods, and the miracle occuring when they lit the menorah that gave rise to Hanukkah.

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes!! When I saw the title of this book and the cover, I knew I had to have it! The story is in a fun rhyming pattern and the illustrations are fantastic!! And it makes me think of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSJCS...

Love The Maccabeats!!

[Shelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the dynamic colorful pictures in this rhyming retelling of the Hanukkah story. I also liked the repeated verse: "Sometimes it only takes a few, who know what's right, and do it, too." A great moral and makes for a fun audience participation part of the read aloud.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the rhyming text and the illustrations a lot. It also fills a need in my library for the backstory of Hanukkah. We had a lot of books about people celebrating throughout the year, but not one about how the holiday started!

[D'Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good way to tell the story of Hanukkah to kids. Though it's interesting, considering the violent backstory, how commercialized Hanukkah became when it isn't even one of the most important Jewish holidays. I blame Christmas.

[Connie Gunderson]

Eddie read it and said it was good.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rhyme and great illustrations by David Harrington keep the story moving. Great reminder for people of all faiths: "Sometimes it only takes a few, who know what's right, and do it, too."

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, super-hero-style picture book telling of the story of Hanukkah; better for the elementary-aged student rather than preschooler.

[Candi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Given to me by a good friend to teach me more about Hanukkah and the traditions around it. I love learning about things that are important to my friends.

[Lauren Fernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book

[Oscar]

this is a good book. What I loved was the illustrations, they were very excellent.