Appealing potatoes

AFAMILY OF rabbits celebrates the festival of lights with their animal friends in

(KarBen, £4.99), a board book by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Amy Husband. A kippah-wearing crocodile and owl sit down happily with girly cats and mice to enjoy candle-lighting, latkes, dreidls, gelt and presents. There are no great surprises but the smiley faces and rhyming text will go down well with the under-threes. For slightly older readers,

by Joel Edward Stein (Kar-Ben, £6.50) tells the story of Misha, an artist living in Grodno, Belarus, at the turn of the 20th century.

Just before Chanucah, he discovers a starving stray cat in his barn and names it Mazel, because of its luck in being rescued. The two of them share the festivities — Misha is too poor to afford real candles but he can paint a menorah and add the flames each night. Fortunately the latkes are real.

Man and cat form a bond — but what will happen when Mazel’s former owner turns up? Will the cat have brought luck to the artist, too? Elisa Vavouri creates an enchanting atmosphere with her snowy landscapes and glimpses of cracked china and old-fashioned kitchenware. A gentle story, with no dramatic twists, for ages up to eight.

There is more snow — in a contemporary setting — in (Kar Ben, £5.99) by Susan Schnur and her daughter Anna SchnurFishman, illustrated by Alex Steele-Morgan. Accompanied by their pet hen and goat, a family sets off into the wintry countryside to mark Chanucah in its own special way. The girl narrator starts with a riddle — how did grandfather keep warm on the walk to school, when he was a child? The answer is hot potatoes in his pockets — and potatoes are used for all sorts of purposes as the hike proceeds, including as a chanuciah. Some fascinating facts emerge from the night-time walk — for instance, who knew that on the sixth night of Chanucah, there is never a moon? There is something for every reader in this picture book, which will make readers look at Chanucah in a fresh way. This is a story for the generations to share — when the family stops in a dark cave to consider their biggest fears, Dad says “the federal deficit”. Try explaining that to your three-year-old.