This book would be great for a discussion of Hanukkah, but further explanation to truly understand the holiday would need to happen. There are events for each night of Hanukkah in the story, which would be good for sequence or making a timeline.

This story was as heartwarming and I loved it so much! The book follows the Menashes who usually have latkes and applesauce during Hanukkah. But a blizzard erases any hope that they'll harvest potatoes and apples in time. When a stray cat and dog show up, there's not a lot of food to offer them, but kindness wins and a Hanukah miracle occurs. Loved it! I received a complimentary copy and thus all opinions expressed are entirely my own

This was a lovely picture book. It has a lovely story about a family, stuck in a blizzard during Hanukkah, that saves a cat and a dog even though they don't have enough for themselves. The illustrations were rich and beautiful. The story was lovely.

Not knowing a lot about Jewish culture or celebrations, I appreciated the information provided at the end of the book explaining "The Holiday of Hanukkah".

Thanks to Netgalley and Charlesbridge for a free digital copy.

I liked this story about a modern day Hanukkah miracle involving a kitten and puppy. I thought it was very cute and a great story to introduce kids to this holiday.

I love that this new Hanukkah story brings the story of Hanukkah to life as the children wait for a miracle. However, I'm not sure that connection is very clear. In the beginning, I thought that the family was sad about not having latkes & applesauce, not that they would be destitute and hungry without them -- nor was it clear if the soup lasted all the days. I did like the puppy, the cat, and the family celebrating traditions such as playing the dreidel game, as well as the story of Hanukkah in the back of the book.

The Menashes are excited for their Hanukkah traditions, but when a blizzard rolls in it looks like Hanukkah might be a little different this year. With assistance from some animal friends it looks like they'll maybe be able to have latkes and applesauce like they always do.

A lovely re-release with new illustrations of a personal childhood favorite! This was one of my favorite stories as a child and I even pulled out that copy after reading this one.

Thank you to Net Galley for making this book available in exchange for an honest review!

The beloved story of a joyous Hannukah celebration by the Menashe family. I love how this family stays calm and enjoys the festive despite a scarcity of food—interactive and informative book. It also comes with a recipe for making latkes, notes on Hanukkah, and rules for playing dreidel.

The appearance of a cat and dog in this story will definitely catch the kids' attention.

4.2 Stars

The Menashe family, with Papa, Mama, Rebecca, and Ezra, always enjoy Latkes and Applesauce for Hanukkah. But that year, snow arrives early, bringing a great blizzard with it. It also brings a cute stray kitten and a hungry little dog to their doorstep. Can the family and their new furry friends celebrate Hanukkah as always?
I loved the cute cover but hesitated to request the ARC as I have very little (or no) knowledge about Jewish celebrations. A friend and fellow reviewer assured me I can still read the book.
I’m so glad I went ahead and requested this one. The illustrations are so heartwarming and beautiful! The color scheme of the candlelit indoors and the snowy outdoors were lively and pleasing. I love how the humans have red cheeks and noses when they step out in the snow. Such little detailing makes the characters appear real and life-like.
The story is equally beautiful and is presented in short texts on each page. The theme of kindness, hope, sharing, and goodness reflect throughout the story. The author’s note at the end provides more information about Hanukkah, Latkes, and Applesauce.
To sum up, Latkes and Applesauce is a cute little book with a sweet story and lovely illustrations.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Charlesbridge and am voluntarily leaving a review.

An early Hanukkah review! I was provided an advanced copy by the publisher, and have to say, my kid was a little confused about why we were reading a Hanukkah book when Passover just ended. Publishing schedules, little one.

A remake of Fran Manushkin's early 90's tale, this time with illustrations by Kris Easler. In this story, a family looks forward to the Festival of Lights, but find themselves snowed in before they can harvest the apples or potatoes to make a latke feast. They are joined early on by a lost kitten and dog and, though they have little to share but soup and warmth, they welcome the animals in. And their kindness is repaid when the storm breaks on the final night and the animals themselves find the ingredients for a delicious latke dinner.

I read this with my child, and they were delighted by how the animals were incorporated into the celebration. I approve highly of the story's compassion and generosity to even strays.

The artwork is charming and full-page, but for a few moments meant to convey the dire predicament of the family. The humans show a range of emotions. The parents worry as they look upon their dwindling food supply. The children are delighted by the animals (and dismayed when the cat beats them at dreidel). We even get a moment of apprehension from mother and daughter as the father attempts to climb a snow and ice-covered tree. The animals are pretty much just happy the entire time, except when the kitten first arrives and...woo, that kitten is ROUGH. It's definitely been out in the snow! XD

I haven't read the original book, so I can't tell if one is superior, but this is a great release to look forward to in September!

I went into this thinking it was an upcoming release- as it turns out, I think I read a rerelease of a classic picture book- nevertheless, I don't feel this story has aged at all! The story was fun and heartwarming, with what I'm presuming are new illustrations which compliment the story amazingly. My five year old brother loved this one too, he was laughing out loud with joy and really liked how the book combined story with education. I also appreciated this element, I learned a lot from the last few pages which covered aspects of Jewish culture mentioned in the story. I can't recommend this picture book enough as both a fun story and learning tool- for all ages!
Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge Publishing for an advanced ebook copy of this title!

A cute story about a Jewish family who receive a Hanukkah “miracle” with the help of their furry friends.

The Menashe family – Papa, Mama, Rebecca and Ezra – love eating latkes and applesauce during Hanukkah. However, this particular year, a blizzard begins on the day of Hanukkah and they have to make do with the soup they have. When the blizzard shows no signs of slowing down day by day, Papa still urges his family to have faith. On the eighth day, their two adopted animals – a cat and a dog, both of whom entered their lives just at the beginning of the blizzard – show them how their faith was justified.

This is an updated reissue of the holiday classic first published in 1990. The story is very sweet and reinforces the ideals of faith, family time, and traditions. I loved the old-fashioned values of the story and also how the cat and the dog receive their names.

As I am not that familiar with Jewish customs, I thought I would feel confused with some of the traditions. (I didn’t even know what a latke was!) However, the book is written in such a wonderful way that I found it very easy to sail through the traditional Jewish aspects. The author’s note at the end of the story is the perfect addition to the book as it provides details on Hanukkah, latke and applesauce, and even on driedels, which the kids play during the blizzard.

The language is very good for beginner level readers. Each page has about 2-3 paragraphs of simple text.

The illustrations are really cute and perfect for the story.

The book would be great for ages 4-8. Recommended for all who want to read a sweet story about a holiday “miracle”.

4.5 stars

My thanks to Charlesbridge Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC of “Latkes and Applesauce: A Hanukkah Story”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

The Menashes love eating latkes and applesauce while celebrating Hanukkah, but a blizzard has covered up all the potatoes and apples. Just as they are getting very hungry and tired of eating only soup, a cat and a dog show up on their snowy doorstep. They help the Menashes with their Hanukkah miracle.

This is a reprinting of a very sweet Hanukkah story and it is beautifully illustrated and told in such a beautiful manner. Not only is it a good introduction to the history Hanukkah for young readers perhaps not familiar with the Jewish holiday, but it helps illustrate the importance of family and kindness, for both humans and animals. It might also help young readers convince their parents that they might need a cat or dog. It was just such a lovely story and told so well.

This would be a lovely addition to any library and I will certainly be adding it to mine.

Thank you NetGalley and Charlesbridge Publishing for this free eARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This small book give us glimpse about the meaning of Hannukah as the tradition and heart warming story. Latkes and Applesauce give very strong message about real meaning of Hannukah, family relationship and willingness to share with other God's creation.

This story had a lot of heart and shows the resilience of a family. I like how applesauce and latke was incorporated in the book. Would recommend it to anyone with kids!

Latkes and Applesauce is a updated reprinting of a beloved Hanukkah story that happens to be super cute! The illustrations are beautiful and so is the message.

The Menashe's are in the midst of celebrating Hanukkah when a blizzard takes place burying all the potatoes and apples that are intended for their feast of Applesauce and Latkes. Luckily, the family takes in two stray animals, a cat and a dog. Although, the family does not have much to eat, as they watch their soup dwindle nightly, they still accept the animals into their home and feed the animals as well. As the story unwinds the animals help the family discover potatoes and apples. In all honesty, I wondered why the Menashe's did not go out and dig up the potatoes sooner, but I understand it would not be a miracle without these animals and their help.

With that said, I enjoyed the story and will purchase for my library. I am always looking for up to date and fun ways to share culture and traditions with my students. This book also offers a great description on how Hanukkah came to be, about Latkes and Applesauce and why Jewish people play with the Dreidel. during Hanukkah.

This is a story about the Menashe family who can’t enjoy their Hanukkah tradition of latkes and applesauce because of an early winter storm. The snow storm buries the apples and potatoes growing outside, and they must eat soup every night and forego their favorite holiday treat. A stray cat and dog come to their door and the family takes them in. At the end of the story, the family goes outside and the dog finds potatoes which survived the storm, while the cat finds apples. The Menashes are overjoyed that they are finally able to cook latkes and applesauce! They also now have new names for their new pets.

My twin 4-year-olds really enjoyed this story. I talked to them about Hanukkah and the Menorah. The passages at the end talking about the origins of Hanukkah, the Dreidel, latkes, and applesauce were all very interesting and informative. Thank you to NetGalley and Charlesbridge for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An unexpected blizzard makes it impossible for the Menashes to gather potatoes and apples for a Hanukkah meal of latkes and applesauce. Night after night, the soup they have dwindles and their stomachs feel emptier. A dog and cat looking for food and shelter show up at their doorstep. Since they’re a loving family, the Menashes take them in, and these cute and playful animals later have a big surprise for them. I adored the themes of family togetherness, kindness, and acceptance of animal friends. The illustrations matched the wintertime setting and cozy indoor atmosphere of the Menashe household. There are also author's notes with details about Hanukkah. I read this via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.

This was ok. It's an old story, but I'm never a fan of this sit-around-and-it'll-work-out narrative. The animals were a cute touch!

This book was an absolute delight. The younger children enjoyed the story and the beautiful illustrations. The older children wanted to look more into the Hannukkah and Jewish history and wanted to make latkes. Could be a busy weekend. This is a book we will read again, a family classic.

A short story for children that explains Hanukkah. The story tells about the Menashe family and their experience celebrating during a snowstorm and the miracles they have along the way. The illustrations are beautifully done and add warmth to the story and seem to make the family and story come alive. A book that will teach children and adults about Hanukkah of they are not already familiar with the holiday. I recommend for libraries.