K-Gr 2—Cousins Nora and Noah live in opposite parts of the world. As Hanukkah approaches, the two begin a
friendly battle over who will celebrate it best. This glowing book shows family connections across the globe and
remains true to the traditions of the Jewish holiday.

First sentence: Noah lived in New York. His cousin Nora lived in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Premise/plot: Noah and Nora are cousins who live on opposite sides of the world, but the two (and their families) share the same faith. This new picture book follows both Noah and Nora (and their correspondence) as they celebrate Hanukkah.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I liked seeing how Hanukkah is celebrated in summer AND winter. There are many things that are the same--traditional, culturally familiar--and things that are different.

This book offers a unique offering of a Hanukkah themed picture book. ( )

#31Days31Lists

Cousins Noah and Nora live half a world apart, in New York and Aotearoa, New Zealand, respectively. That means that while they both celebrate Hanukkah in December, it's winter for Noah and summer for Nora. The cousins playfully argue about which of them is upside down, and whether Hanukkah is better in winter or summer. They set up a shared photo album and the challenge is on! Each day, the cousins do something different, but parallel (ice skating, surfing), and each night, they celebrate Hanukkah - by saying prayers, lighting candles, eating latkes, etc. On the last night of Hanukkah, they open the gifts they mailed to each other, which happen to be shirts with "World's Best Cousin" printed upside down. "And on opposite sides of the same small world....Everything felt right side up."

Smart use of the gutter (some pages are also divided in half horizontally). Noah and Nora and their families are unique and friendly-seeming, both settled in their worlds. Noah's family presents white, with Dad and Noah wearing glasses; Nora's dad has brown skin. ( )

celebrations in northern and southern hemispheres ( )

In this delightfully upside-down picture book holiday story, cousins from opposite sides of the globe debate who can celebrate the best Hanukkah. Eight chances to prove it—may the best cousin win!