"What do you think Grandma wants to do this year?"
I don't know for sure. But I think it has to do with being strong in the bad time and remembering it in the good time.
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.
Best-selling author Eve Bunting's touching and joyous story about the importance of remembrance is exquisitely rendered by K. Wendy Popp's remarkable pastels. One Candle 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.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
A mitzvah:
I too, was curious about the placement of the candle in the window and my Temple confirmed that it is indeed a mitzvah to turn the menorrah toward the passer-by and the world outside so that they read it as one would light it. There is nothing amiss in the illustrations here. Mitzvah, yes!
One Candle review:
This book is a touching story about celebrating Hanukkah in a work camp with two young girls. It is a book od love, hope, and life. Younger kids would probably not understand all of it and it might bore some older kids. Overall it is a pretty good book. The pictures help you understand it even more.
Errors?:
I find it appauling that simply because this is a non-kosher family being depicted (as my family is) it is considered an ERROR. Equally appauling is the fact that because there is one belief about how the candles should be lit, all other beliefs are suddenly invalidated. But most appauling of all is that we finally have a book that not only takes the holiday seriously but celebrates it with such sincerity and a sense of hope, and yet you sit there and try to find reasons to discredit it. I for one think... more info
A Few Errors Can't Steal the Magic of this Book:
I agree with other reviewers that it is a pity that Ms. Bunting's editors didn't assign someone knowledgeable to review the text and help the artist with moon phases and menorah placement. On the other hand, many of the Jews who love and celebrate Hanukkah do not practice strictly in accordance with dietary and other religious laws.
What makes this book special is showing a festive, cheerful holiday having such significance in the practice of one's religion and being one's true self that Grandma, as a... more info
