Nathan's Hanukkah Bargain - Hardcover

Greene, Jacqueline

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1589804546 ISBN 13: 9781589804548

Publisher: Pelican Publishing, 2008

Synopsis

More than 2,000 years ago, the Maccabees in Jerusalem celebrated their first Hanukkah by lighting oil in a special holder called a menorah. Now, it's Nathan's turn to celebrate Hanukkah and to search for a perfect menorah of his very own. Joined by his grandpa, Nathan visits shop after shop and learns about Jewish tradition and the art of bargaining.

About this title

About the Author

A former elementary school teacher, Judith Hierstein now teaches high school graphic and media arts. She has illustrated several children's books for Pelican including the Toby Belfer Series and The American Revolution A to Z, Nathan's Hanukkah Bargain, Jim Limber Davis: A Black Orphan in the Confederate White House, and The Pilgrims' Thanksgiving from A to Z. She lives in Tuscon, Arizona.

From the Inside Flap

Nathan has carefully saved his quarters and now he has five dollars--a king's ransom. There are many things Nathan could buy with his money--a new sled or a robot that changes shape--but the only thing that Nathan wants is a menorah of his very own.

Determined to find the perfect menorah, Nathan and his grandfather set out to visit the nearby shops. There are many nice menorahs in each shop. One even has a green enamel one with twisting branches. Another shop has a pocket-sized menorah that holds birthday candles. None of these are what Nathan has dreamed of, and they all cost much more than five dollars.

Disappointed, Nathan is about to give up the search when his grandfather explains how he bargained with sidewalk peddlers when he was a boy. This sparks Nathan's imagination, and when he spies his perfect menorah in the window of a junk shop, he wonders if bargaining may be just the right way to secure his treasure.

Jacqueline Dembar Greene is the author of thirty books for young readers. She has written novels, picture books, nonfiction, poems, and short stories, and two of her historical novels were named Sydney Taylor Honor Books. She lives in Wayland, Massachusetts.

Judith Hierstein earned a bachelor of arts degree in art education from the University of Iowa. Now retired, she is a former art teacher, having taught art at all levels, from elementary art to digital arts in high school. She is the illustrator of the Toby Belfer Series, The Pilgrims' Thanksgiving from A to Z and Jim Limber Davis: A Black Orphan in the Confederate White House all published by Pelican. She lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Reviews

Kindergarten-Grade 2–Nathan wants to buy his own menorah, but when he goes shopping with his grandfather, he finds that they are either too expensive or not quite right. After the man reminisces about dealing with peddlers in the old days, they find a silver menorah in a junk shop. Although the ending is rather pat, the story has a straightforward appeal that many kids will appreciate, and Grandpa (who stands aside to let Nathan do the haggling himself) is a gem. The bargaining session itself is realistic and entertaining (Nathan eyed the man coolly. 'It has a dent.' 'Dent, shment,' the shopkeeper mocked. 'It's pure silver. It's a steal at ten dollars'). Although the facial features and expressions are sometimes a bit exaggerated, the full-spread illustrations do a good job of complementing the text. A short afterword explains the holiday and the role of the menorah. While this story is only tangentially about Hanukkah, it is a good intergenerational selection for larger or specialized collections.–Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library
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Edition details

• Publisher: Pelican Publishing
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1589804546
• ISBN 13: 9781589804548
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Hierstein Judith
• Number of pages: 32