Hanukkah Hamster - Hardcover

Plainspoken storytelling by Markel (Balderdash!) offers emotional depth, as do pictures by Ceolin (Yom Kippur's Shortstop), which combine crisp shapes and velvety textures. While lightly anthropomorphized Chickpea is adorable, it's Edgar who will quickly win readers sympathies, and the everybody wins ending feels just right. --Publisher's Weekly

Hanukkah blessings abound when Edgar, a lonely taxi driver, discovers a lost hamster in the back of his cab and finds in it an unlikely friend. Softly falling snow and the warm candlelight of the menorah paint a tranquil picture; Edgar opens his heart, sharing treasured memories of his home in Tel Aviv, Israel, while searching for the missing pet's owner. This is a charming holiday tale about family, friendship, joy, and gratitude. --Foreword Reviews

An utterly charming picture book story for children ages 5 to 7, and one that is unreservedly recommended for family, preschool, elementary school, and community library collections, it should be noted for young readers that "Hanukkah Hamster" is also available in a digital book format. ---Midwest Book Review Ms. Markel's prose is simple and sweet and down-to-earth. It is also perfectly-paced to keep readers turning the page. Artist Andre Ceolin's illustrations are soft and dreamy, and capture both the bustle of the holidays and the singleness of living alone far from friends, family and familiar memories --The Picture Book Blog