On the First Night of Chanukah Is Simplistic But Fun

The 12 Days of Christmas is an incredibly easy song to adapt, so it has spawned its own mini-genre of Christmas books.  Cecily Kaiser and Brian Schatell extend its influence by applying it to Judaism in On the First Night of Chanukah. 

I’ve read different explanations for the items included in the original 12 Days of Christmas, but no matter how you slice it, that’s a pretty strange list.  By contrast, the objects in this book make a lot more sense.  Each page features something that is typically a part of a Chanukah celebration: eight candles, seven doughnuts, six finger puppets, five chocolate gelt, four dreidels, three Stars of David, two latkes and one menorah. 

One each day, a different person is singled out as the giver.  It starts with Mom, then Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, an aunt, an uncle, cousins and a teacher join in the festivities.  The beginning of the book is fairly sedate, but by the end of it, it’s quite a rowdy party, with a house full of laugher and love. 

Schatell’s illustrations are cartoonish, with each of the family members wearing large grins and sporting rosy cheeks, and as the celebration gains intensity, there are more and more details to discover in the cheerful pictures.  One of the neatest elements is the Maccabee Playhouse the children use to put on a puppet show, a great way to bring the family together and let the history of the holiday leap to life in a striking way.  I also like the way the candles in the menorah spell out CHANUKAH.

The story itself doesn’t offer explanations for what any of these items are.  It’s just your basic 12 Days of Christmas spin-off, so it’s up to the pictures to do the talking, and the book really seems geared toward children who are Jewish.  Hence, while it could be an educational tool, I don’t think that was Kaiser’s primary intention, and those who use it in such a way will probably want to include some supplementary materials.

In comparison to the number of Christmas books out there, Chanukah-related selections are fairly few and far between.  This one is definitely geared toward the younger end of the age spectrum, and it doesn’t tell a very in-depth story.  But it still manages to cover a lot of ground in terms of depicting traditional Chanukah festivities, and the fun, affectionate nature of the family makes On the First Day of Chanukah all the more appealing.