(4) K-3 Illustrated by Martha Avilés. Rachel is nervous about celebrating Hanukkah with her non-Jewish relatives, especially when she leaves her special menorah behind on the airplane. But when she tells her Italian grandmother the story of Hanukkah, Nonna fixes everything and helps create new holiday traditions. Though the text mentions Christmas several times, the bright and cheery pastel-colored illustrations depict only the Hanukkah celebration.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Martha Avilés. On the anniversary of his grandfather's death, a boy and his family gather in the cemetery to unveil his gravestone according to Jewish tradition. In remembering his grandpa, the boy recognizes that "memories of someone you love never get lost." Without a plot, this serves only as bibliotherapy; soothing blue- and green-hued illustrations reinforce the reassuring if slightly saccharine text.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Martha Avilés. On the day of her aunt's wedding, Anna, the flower girl, is unable to stop sneezing. Everyone, from her father to the photographer to the rabbi, offers suggestions for controlling sneezes, but Anna is still worried she won't be able to hold it in during the ceremony. Sweet, pink-dominated illustrations complement the slight story; a note explaining Jewish wedding traditions is appended.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Martha Avilés. Tradition says that Jewish families welcome the Shabbat Queen into their homes on Friday nights. Rosie decides to create her own tradition by dressing as the Shabbat Princess. The story is slight but mildly informative. Double-page-spread illustrations are dominated by pinks, purples, and browns.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Martha Avilés. Lolo wants attention on the day of her sister Eva's quinceañera. When their dog, Gobi, steals Eva's sash, Lolo gets noticed, first for letting Gobi escape, but then for saving the day. Though the story is slight, the book effectively integrates specificity of cultural celebration with the universal childhood need for attention. The round-edged acrylic and liquid watercolor illustrations are full of detail.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Martha Aviles. Kimmel transports the Grimms' fairy tale "The Fisherman and His Wife" to the culture of the ancient Aztecs. The conversational text and unfussy acrylic and liquid watercolor illustrations balance humor and off-handed casualness with historical accuracy. As usual with Kimmel's folktale retellings, this would be useful for reading aloud during storytimes and library programs.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Martha Aviles. Recent immigrant Amelia decides to wear her fiesta dress from Cuba for show-and-tell. At school she discovers that all the other show-and-tell items are in a basket, but all ends well when she demonstrates how her dress "talks" when she dances. The bilingual text and colorful illustrations nicely incorporate images from Amelia's island life.

Reviewer: Tim Wadham