All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah
illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky; Schwartz & Wade/Random House, 2018.
Illustrated by Caldecott Award-winning artist Paul O. Zelinsky, this jolly picture book brings Sydney Taylor’s beloved All-of-a-Kind Family to life in a new format.
Readers join them back in 1912, on the Lower East Side of NYC. Preparations for Hanukkah are being made.
When Gertie, the youngest, is not allowed to help prepare latkes, she throws a tantrum. Banished to the girls’ bedroom, she can still hear the sounds and smell the smells of a family getting ready to celebrate. But then Papa comes home and she is allowed out–and given the best job of all: lighting the first candle on the menorah.
For an educator's guide, classroom activities, coloring pages, recipes and more, click here.
Want to make latkes at home, or share the process with your students? Here’s Kid Lit TV’s “cooking show” with Emily and Paul O. Zelinsky!
Five starred reviews for All-Of-A-Kind Family Hanukkah:
"Jenkins expertly captures the warm family spirit of the classic books and their time for a new generation of readers. Zelinsky's digital artwork brilliantly evokes the crowded but cozy tenement world of the early 20th century, while his use of perspective lovingly draws readers into the drama. Share this joyous holiday tale of a Jewish immigrant family all year long." --Kirkus (starred review)
"Jenkins captures the warmth the holiday engenders. Zelinsky does a masterful job with the artwork, drawing with bold strokes that have energy and emotion...Here's hoping for more adventures of these exceptional sisters." --Booklist (starred review)
“The perfect way to introduce these memorable characters to the next generation of readers.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
“This original picture book based on Sydney Taylor’s beloved characters serves as a perfect standalone Hanukkah read, or an inviting introduction to the author’s All-of-a-Kind Family middle-grade classics….Jenkins’s cozy present-tense text and Zelinsky’s thick-lined, expressive, color-saturated illustrations capture the happy bustle of a loving family amid lots of well-researched period details.” - The Horn Book (starred review)
“When two top picture book talents (the team behind the Toys Go Out series) introduce a new generation to Sydney Taylor’s classic stories of Jewish family life on the Lower East Side, it’s what’s known in Yiddish as a mechaye—something that gives great joy. …Jenkins captures a wealth of feelings with a few understated words… Zelinsky’s warm-toned, rough-hewn pictures and intimate perspectives give readers a sense of both the close quarters of tenement life and the unbreakable bonds that made immigrant Jewish families so resilient.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“When I first heard about All-of-a-Kind Family Hannukkah by Emily Jenkins and Paul O. Zelinsky, the first picture book starring the middle-grade characters created by Sydney Taylor and beloved by generations, my thought was “Chutzpahdik!” Sure, Jenkins and Zelinsky are children’s lit rock stars, but how dare they futz with perfection? I was wrong.” — Tablet Magazine “The Best Jewish Children’s Books of 2018"
Winner, PJ Library's Author Incentive Award
Kirkus Review "Best of the Year"
Winner of the 2019 Sydney Taylor Award
