Happy Llamakkah!: A Hanukkah Story

by Laura Gehl, Lydia Nichols (Illustrator)

Overview

Celebrate Hanukkah with the Llama family in Happy Llamakkah!, a joyful, rhyming picture book.

Follow along with the Llama family’s Hanukkah traditions as they light their menorah, spin the dreidel, fry latkes, and more.

Laura Gehl’s lively rhyming text and Lydia Nichols’s vibrant illustrations make for a festive read. The book also features kid-friendly back matter, with expanded information on the holiday’s history and traditions.

“The book’s funny premise—llama plus Hanukkah equal Llamakkah—pays off with an entertaining story of a llama family celebrating the Festival of Lights.” —Horn Book Magazine

“A family of llamas observe Llamakkah in this brightly colored picture book that reminds readers about the coziness and joy of that Jewish holiday.” —School Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419743153
Publisher:	Abrams Appleseed
Publication date:	09/20/2022
Pages:	22
Sales rank:	491,622
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 6.90(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

Laura Gehl is the author of 20 books for young readers, including One Big Pair of Underwear (Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Title, International Literacy Association Honor Book, Booklist Books for Youth Editors’ Choice); the Peep and Egg series (Parents’ Choice Recommendation, Children’s Choice Book Award Finalist); My Pillow Keeps Moving (Junior Library Guild selection, New York Public Library Best Books of 2018 selection); and I Got a Chicken for My Birthday (Kirkus Best Picture Books of 2018 selection). Her recent picture book, Except When They Don’t, received a starred review from School Library Journal, and the fourth title in her Baby Scientist board book series, Baby Paleontologist, received a starred review from Kirkus. Gehl lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with her husband and four children.

Editorial Reviews

"The book’s funny premise—llama plus Hanukkah equal Llamakkah— pays off with an entertaining story of a llama family celebrating the Festival of Lights."—Horn Book Magazine

"A family of llamas observe Llamakkah in this brightly colored picture book that reminds readers about the coziness and joy of that Jewish holiday." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

"The book’s funny premise—llama plus Hanukkah equal Llamakkah— pays off with an entertaining story of a llama family celebrating the Festival of Lights."

Horn Book Magazine

11/01/2020

PreS—A family of llamas observe Llamakkah in this brightly colored picture book that reminds readers about the coziness and joy of that Jewish holiday. Each page describes different Llamakkah traditions in gentle rhymes, while personified llamas celebrate with their friends and family over the course of a wintry few days. Candles lit on the menorah denote the passage of time, while the llamas spin dreidels, light candles, fry latkes, sing, eat doughnuts, enjoy gelt, and spend time outside in the snow. An author's note describes the history of Hanukkah and its significance, defining important words used in the text. While it is never made clear within the text that Llamakkah is meant to be Hanukkah, it's an easy conclusion. Nichols's digital illustrations of playful llamas are delightful and draw heavily on the shades of blues commonly associated with the holiday. VERDICT A sweet if simple addition to the Hanukkah canon. Purchase in larger collections and where holiday books are needed.—Kelsey Socha, Springfield City Lib., MA

School Library Journal

2020-08-18
Members of the camelid family celebrate Hanukkah.

In a cozy house, llamas and alpacas perform all the standard holiday activities, including lighting candles, spinning dreidels, frying latkes, and wrapping presents. The action is written in tercets, with three rhymed lines: “Latkes to fry. / Ribbons to tie. / Friends stopping by.” The title of the book is the oft-repeated refrain, with llama and Hanukkah combining for an amusing portmanteau. Unfortunately, the innate appeal and soft, wooly hugginess of llamas and alpacas are lost in the spare, stylized digital illustrations. Even those characters who are presented with a bit of extra fleece don’t look particularly fluffy. One scene of a menorah on the windowsill depicts the candles placed left to right, instead of the traditional right to left. All in all, there’s not enough substance built around the refrain to fill out even this slim book. A two-page author’s note describes the Hanukkah miracle and then provides further information on the various Hanukkah traditions lighted on in the book. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Not a must-buy. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews