THE HANUKKAH MICE
by Steven Kroll and illustrated by Michelle Shapiro
A family of dressed-up mice (Papa and Mitchell both sport yarmulkes) make themselves at home in Rachel’s Hanukkah gift—a delicate dollhouse. From the first night to the eighth, Rachel receives all the tiny necessities required to make it a Jewish home. Beyond the doll-size furniture, Rachel provides dreidels, gelt, a holiday meal complete with latkes and a miniature menorah with which the mice happily celebrate the traditional candle-lighting. Shapiro’s childlike gouache paintings depict a canny Rachel and her secret gift-giving to make a home for the small, new residents of her dollhouse. However, while the basic concept of the holiday is brought out through gift-giving and sharing, the use of cutesy mice to illustrate it makes it more than a bit precious. A mediocre addition for the younger set. (Picture book. 3-5)