The Dreidel that Wouldn’t Spin

“A child’s innocent appreciation for life’s small wonders transforms a shopkeeper’s business attitude during the busy selling season of Hanukkah. The owner of the small toyshop is immediately intrigued with the potential of a large profit if he can sell a peddler’s oversized, elaborately painted dreidel … [Author Martha] Simpson uses familiar European folk-tale motifs, which [illustrator] Bernhard matches with [gouache] paintings of an Old World setting; both illustrate how humility outshines greed and arrogance. Backmatter [i.e. the Appendix] explains the real miracle of Hanukkah and the holiday’s significance as well as rules for playing dreidel. A sweet original tale with a timeless, though not holiday-specific message (Pictur e book. 5-7)”
—Kirkus Reviews

“K-Gr 2– In this gentle parable, a peddler gives a splendorous Hanukkah dreidel to the greedy owner of a toy shop with the admonishment that ‘...the miracle of Hanukkah cannot be bought’… Folkloric watercolor illustrations in a pale palette are appropriately soft in tone while images of the toys offering their own expressive impressions of the goings-on inject a bit of humor. A lovely choice for those wishing to circumvent the more commercial aspects of the holiday.”
—School Library Journal