Magic Dreidels: A Hanukkah Story

Eric A. Kimmel

ISBN 10: 0613866096 ISBN 13: 9780613866095

Publisher: Rebound by Sagebrush, 1997

Synopsis

When an old lady swindles him out of his magic dreidels, Jacob tries to get them back in time for the family's Hanukkah celebration.

About this title

Review

While everyone else in the house prepares for Hanukkah, Jacob wants nothing but to play with his new brass dreidel. When he is sent to fetch water, he accidentally sends his dreidel into the well. Little does Jacob know that a good-willed, if mischievous, goblin lives at the bottom of the well, and that he will then receive a few special gifts. This re-telling of the old tale "The Tablecloth, the Donkey, and the Stick" in a Hanukkah setting shows that sometimes honest boys don't need magic dreidels to spin some magic of their own!

Katya Krenina's illustrations evoke the liveliness of the holiday as well as the rustic settings of Jacob and his family. She brings subtle warmth into the winter season, even stripping a fantastical goblin of any eeriness that might be associated with it. Eric Kimmel's clean, clear writing makes The Magic Dreidels a wonderful selection for bedtime stories as the days get shorter.

About the Author

Eric A. Kimmel is Professor Emeritus at Portland State University. He has written, retold, and adapted many stories from around the world. A frequent lecturer and storyteller at schools and conferences, he and his wife, Doris, live in Portland, Oregon.

Katya Krenina is a native of Ukraine, where she studied drawing, painting, textile design, and tapestry weaving. She emigrated to the United States six years ago and earned a dregree in illustration fro Syracuse University. She lives in Fayetteville, New York. The "'Magic Dreidels"' is her first book.

About this edition

• Publisher: Rebound by Sagebrush
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0613866096
• ISBN 13: 9780613866095
• Binding: Unknown Binding
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Katya Krenina