Sadie's Almost Marvelous Menorah

PreS-Gr 1—In this third title featuring blond, bespectacled Sadie, it is the Monday before Hanukkah and her teacher, Morah Rachel, has given the children clay to make their own menorahs. The rest of the week, Sadie works on shaping and painting her menorah and learning to recite the Hanukkah blessings over the candles. Alas, when Friday comes she is so excited to show her mother her pink menorah with blue squiggles that she trips and drops it, causing it to shatter except for the part meant to hold the shammash, the helper candle used to light all the others. Her wise mother decides that they will call it "Sadie's Super Shammash," with the special job of lighting the shammash on all of the other family menorahs. This simple, elegant solution to Sadie's distress is characteristic of the warm, loving tone set throughout the book, enhanced by appealing spreads depicting a sunny classroom full of eager children, many wearing yarmulkes (as is Morah Rachel). Textured backdrops and surfaces combined with a light earthy palette give the whole an airy, affable feel, perfect for this holiday that celebrates a positive outcome over adversity.—Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library