Latkes and Applesauce: A Hanukkah Story - Fran Manushkin - ★★★★.¼

AUTHOR: Fran Manushkin

ILLUSTRATOR: Kris Easler

GENRE: Children's Picture Book

PUBLICATION DATE: September 27, 2022

RATING: 4.25 stars.

A cute story about a Jewish family who receive a Hanukkah “miracle” with the help of their furry friends.

The Menashe family – Papa, Mama, Rebecca and Ezra – love eating latkes and applesauce during Hanukkah. However, this particular year, a blizzard begins on the day of Hanukkah and they have to make do with the soup they have. When the blizzard shows no signs of slowing down day by day, Papa still urges his family to have faith. On the eighth day, their two adopted animals – a cat and a dog, both of whom entered their lives just at the beginning of the blizzard – show them how their faith was justified.

This is an updated reissue of the holiday classic first published in 1990. The story is very sweet and reinforces the ideals of faith, family time, and traditions. I loved the old-fashioned values of the story and also how the cat and the dog receive their names.

As I am not that familiar with Jewish customs, I thought I would feel confused with some of the traditions. (I didn’t even know what a latke was!) However, the book is written in such a wonderful way that I found it very easy to sail through the traditional Jewish aspects. The author’s note at the end of the story is the perfect addition to the book as it provides details on Hanukkah, latke and applesauce, and even on driedels, which the kids play during the blizzard.

The language is very good for beginner level readers. Each page has about 2-3 paragraphs of simple text.

The illustrations are really cute and perfect for the story.

The book would be great for ages 4-8. Recommended for all who want to read a sweet story about a holiday “miracle”.

My thanks to Charlesbridge Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC of “Latkes and Applesauce: A Hanukkah Story”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.