School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4-Sadie is one lucky kid-her Christian father and Jewish mother create a holiday mash-up with elements of both Christmas and Hanukkah tossed about with gay abandon. They scatter gelt under the tree and have a menorah hung with candy canes, Santa's treat is potato latkes, and they "carol to the neighbors about Maccabees and the manger." The extended families willingly participate in the combined holiday feast and listen to tales from both traditions. The gouache, collage, and colored-pencil illustrations are a lively addition to the cheerful holiday chaos. Alko includes a recipe for cranberry kugel dressing. This is not in any way a typical holiday celebration, but it certainly is a joyful one. Perfect for a multicultural holiday program.-Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
"I am a mix of two traditions," begins Sadie's story of her family's way of blending religious traditions. Like the image of the dining table surrounded by a hodge-podge of mismatched chairs, each picture underscores the theme of blending elements to create an exciting whole ("How lucky am I?"). Alko's (B Is for Brooklyn) prose tends to be blandly declarative ("Mountains of gifts are placed under the tree for eight nights of Hanukkah, plus Christmas Day"), but her illustrations grab attention, an exuberant combination of colors, textures, and images created by gouache, collage, and colored pencil. Ages 5-8. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
