Big new titles perfect for the littles.
Our Friend Hedgehog: A Place to Call Home by Lauren Castillo (Knopf Books for Young Readers). “Families come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they are joined by birth, and other times they are chosen. Hedgehog, Mutty, Mole, Owl, Beaver, Hen and Chicks, and me, Annika Mae. We may look different on the outside, but together we are like family. Together we are home.” But when Hedgehog meets one of her “own” kind, how will her friends feel? Does their found family really have enough room — and love — in it for others? Of course!
Through the North Pole Snow by Polly Faber (author) and Richard Jones (illustrator) (Candlewick). The tiny arctic fox was cold, hungry, and searching for something, anything, to eat. It hopped and jumped and pounced, trying to punch through the snow and find somewhere to dig in the harsh North Pole night. Suddenly, “Ah! The little fox saw light and color and felt warmth again. And the little fox smelled dinner, so it kept digging.” What the critter doesn’t realize is that he’s not on the ground, but on a roof of a cozy house, and he’s about to meet the man who lives there: Santa Claus!
Mendel’s Hanukkah Mess Up by Chana and Larry Stiefel (authors) and Daphna Awadish (illustrator) (Kalaniot Books). It’s almost Hanukkah, Mendel’s favorite holiday! But his track record celebrating the Festival of Lights isn’t great. Sparklers instead of candles in the menorah? “Oy, Mendel!” Too many onions in the latkes? “Oy, Mendel!” Still, when Rabbi Klein asks Mendel to drive the Mitzvah Mobile around New York City to spread the word about this year’s festivities, the young man is determined to do it right. But when he wrecks the van instead? Somehow, hapless Mendel manages to share the miracle of Hanukkah anyway…
