D Is for Dreidel - Softcover

Kindergarten-Grade 2-"A is for afternoon/Sundown is near/Hanukkah's starting/The family's all here!/B is for bracha/The blessing we sing-." A different aspect of the holiday is celebrated in brief rhymes for each letter. Some are obviously a stretch (Q is for quilt and X is for xylophone, two of the gifts received by children in the book), and prior knowledge of the holiday and the culture is assumed ("G is for gelt/The chocolatey kind./Peel back gold foil/A treasure to find"). At one point, the author suggests that readers sing "the great dreidel song" but doesn't give the words or music. A one-page retelling of the Hanukkah story is appended. There is no guide to pronunciation and most of the Hebrew words are not fully defined. The simple format and appealing art may appeal to young children, but this book is not the best choice to hand to youngsters who know nothing about the holiday.-M. A.
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