Mrs. Greenberg's Messy Hanukkah » (Reprint)

Though it's the first night of Hanukkah, Rachel's family won't really be celebrating until next week. But Rachel wants to celebrate now, so she comes up wtih a good idea: she'll visit her neighbor, Mrs. Greenberg, and they can make latkes together.

Judy Chernak - Children's Literature

Hanukkah is about candles, and gifts, and dreidels to spin, and latkes to eat. But what about the behind-the-scenes work necessary to produce all this fun? Finally, a realistic book that paints a picture of Rachel and the glorious mess she makes when she goes to celebrate Hanukkah with her elderly neighbor. Rachel's parents, you see, won't be hosting a party till the end of the week, and Rachel just can't wait that long for potato latkes. So she decides to let Mrs. Greenberg in on the fun, Mrs. Greenberg with her perfectly neat house that nobody ever messes up. After Rachel has many mishaps, most of which end of on the nice, clean floor or drifting around the beautiful, shiny room, finally Mrs. Greenberg gives up trying to clean up as they go along. She has just settled, exhausted, into an easy chair when Rachel's parents come to retrieve their daughter. You can imagine what they say when they see the colossal mess, portrayed in quite charming pictures! But all's well that ends well, and everyone pitches in to clean up while the latkes are frying. "Now this feels like Hanukkah!" beams Mrs. Greenberg. I think you'll agree. 2004, Whitman, Ages 6 to 8.