Family

Latkes are one of my favorite foods. This is a decent book about a messy little girl and the nice old lady next door. Not super religious, so a good introduction to the concept of Hanukkah for our not super religious household. ( )

Silly fun as preparations for Hanukkah go awry. Illustrated picture book.

It's the first night of Hanukkah and Rachel wants to have latkes, but her parents want to wait until their relatives come the following week. Rachel goes to a very tidy, elderly neighbor to make latkes. In making the latkes, Rachel makes a big mess in the woman's home. Instead of being angry, the woman is happy to have company and to feel like her home is lived in again.

The latke-loving Rachel, and her neighbor Mrs. Greenburg, whose holiday adventures began in The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes, return in this second book, once again confronting a latke shortage. In this case, the shortage is intentional (and temporary), as Rachel's mother doesn't plan on making any of the delicious potato pancakes for the first night of the holiday, saving her efforts for the big family gathering that is coming up. Rachel, dissatisfied with this idea - after all, it won't feel like Hanukkah without latkes! - convinces Mrs. Greenburg that they can make some on their own, as a surprise. And boy - is it ever a surprise!

I don't know that Mrs. Greenburg's Messy Hanukkah is quite as heartwarming as the first book - it lacks that satisfying plot element in which an outsider is incorporated into the family fun - but it is still engaging, in its own right. Anyone who has ever cooked with a young person, or who assisted an older person with the cooking, when they themselves were young, will recognize some of the mishaps here! Nancy Cote, who illustrated the first Rachel/Mrs. Greenburg story, turns in anther appealing set of gouache paintings with this one. All in all, a fun little story, recommended to anyone looking for lighthearted Hanukkah tales for younger children! ( )