Eight Nights, Eight Lights
by Natalie Barnes; illus. by Andrea Stegmaier
Preschool, Primary    Kane Miller    32 pp.    g
12/22    978-1-68464-441-4    $14.99

As the families in one city neighborhood celebrate Chanukah, readers get a night-by-night glimpse into their homes and practices. Young Max, his grandparents, and his mother light the chanukiah, “Small and silver. Old as time.” His friend Lara’s family makes fresh jelly doughnuts with enough to share. Others play dreidel, exchange gifts, and relate the Maccabees’ tale. On the eighth night, the story ends back with Max looking out at a fireworks display and the neighbors’ windows that “all burn bright with light.” An introductory note on the title page tells more about chanukiot (with occasional later slight errors). A warm and welcoming tale, with colorful illustrations in subdued hues that reflect an array of Jewish experiences and representation.

From the November/December 2022 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.