Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Levine Querido (2021), 32 pages
Description
On Isaac's street most of the houses are decorated in red and green for Christmas including his friend, Teresa's, while Isaac's house is blue and white for Hanukkah; then someone smashes Isaac's window in the night, and Teresa comes up with a way to show support her friend--and gets the whole community to rally around their Jewish family.
Awards
A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (Picture Books — 2021)
Sydney Taylor Book Award (Notable Book — Picture Book — 2022)
Nerdy Book Award (Nonfiction Picture Books — 2021)
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member melodyreads
kindness, tolerance and events that really happened
LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
A fictionalized retelling of a real incident in Billings, MT, when a community came together to support a Jewish family after an attack on their home during Hanukkah. See "The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate" by Janice Cohn and Bill Farnsworth.
LibraryThing member nbmars
This beautiful story opens:
“On a block dressed up in Red and Green, one house shone Blue and White.”
The author explains that as the holidays approached, Isaac helped his family set up Chanukah decorations in their front picture window. Teresa, his best friend who lived across the street, helped
But that same night, after dark, someone threw a stone through Isaac’s window, shattering the glass and causing their menorah to flicker out. Isaac didn’t want to stop lighting the menorah; it would be like hiding that they were Jewish, and that didn’t feel right to him. So the next night, he lit the menorah once again.
Across the street, Teresa put up a big picture in her window of a menorah that said “For Isaac.” Other friends started making similar pictures, and they posted them in the school and in the library. Local stores and restaurants joined in, and the story was on the television and in the newspapers.
Three weeks later, the author writes:
“From more than 10,000 windows came. . .
Christmas tree and Menorah light
Red and green and blue and white
Stronger together
Shining bright!”
An Author’s Note at the conclusion of this story reports that it was inspired by the real events of December 1993 in Billings Montana. Theresa and Isaac are real too, although their interactions and some details have been fictionalized. He writes:
“What I hope shines through is how the people in Billings chose to not just stand by and be BYstanders while bad things happened to others. Instead, they stood up to say the bad things weren’t okay. They chose to be UPstanders. And when the whole community stood up together for friendship, and respecting differences, and love - the stone-throwers backed down. And in Billings, Montana, love won.”
Artwork by the revered illustrator Paul O. Zelinsky fills the pages with bold lines and colors that bring to life the holidays, along with a brief look at the terror of antisemitic hatred. A spirit of joy and friendship dominate the imagery, however, as they dominated the factual story. Zelinsky manages to show emotional complexity and an entire city with spare lines that are nevertheless rich in detail and meaning.
Evaluation: This story for readers aged 4 and up is told simply and clearly. Without being didactic in the least, it manages to convey the true meaning of community, universal love, and tolerance that under the best circumstances will inform the holiday season.
“On a block dressed up in Red and Green, one house shone Blue and White.”
The author explains that as the holidays approached, Isaac helped his family set up Chanukah decorations in their front picture window. Teresa, his best friend who lived across the street, helped
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her family trim their Christmas tree.But that same night, after dark, someone threw a stone through Isaac’s window, shattering the glass and causing their menorah to flicker out. Isaac didn’t want to stop lighting the menorah; it would be like hiding that they were Jewish, and that didn’t feel right to him. So the next night, he lit the menorah once again.
Across the street, Teresa put up a big picture in her window of a menorah that said “For Isaac.” Other friends started making similar pictures, and they posted them in the school and in the library. Local stores and restaurants joined in, and the story was on the television and in the newspapers.
Three weeks later, the author writes:
“From more than 10,000 windows came. . .
Christmas tree and Menorah light
Red and green and blue and white
Stronger together
Shining bright!”
An Author’s Note at the conclusion of this story reports that it was inspired by the real events of December 1993 in Billings Montana. Theresa and Isaac are real too, although their interactions and some details have been fictionalized. He writes:
“What I hope shines through is how the people in Billings chose to not just stand by and be BYstanders while bad things happened to others. Instead, they stood up to say the bad things weren’t okay. They chose to be UPstanders. And when the whole community stood up together for friendship, and respecting differences, and love - the stone-throwers backed down. And in Billings, Montana, love won.”
Artwork by the revered illustrator Paul O. Zelinsky fills the pages with bold lines and colors that bring to life the holidays, along with a brief look at the terror of antisemitic hatred. A spirit of joy and friendship dominate the imagery, however, as they dominated the factual story. Zelinsky manages to show emotional complexity and an entire city with spare lines that are nevertheless rich in detail and meaning.
Evaluation: This story for readers aged 4 and up is told simply and clearly. Without being didactic in the least, it manages to convey the true meaning of community, universal love, and tolerance that under the best circumstances will inform the holiday season.
Show Less
LibraryThing member sloth852
Inspired by a true story, a community comes together when a Jewish property is damaged during Chanukah.
ISBN
1646140877 / 9781646140879