(2) K-3 Illustrated by Omer Hoffmann. Cousins Noah and Nora live on “opposite sides of the world,” with Noah in New York and Nora in Aotearoa New Zealand. During Hanukkah, they compete to determine whose celebration is better: “Hanukkah’s­ awesome in winter.” “Maybe...but it’s awesomer in summer.” Over the course of the eight nights, readers learn some details about the holiday’s rituals and about each of the settings. “Noah slid on his skates. Nora surfed to the shore. But on the seventh night of Hanukkah, they both spun sevivon -- and won gelt for gimel!” Digitally assembled pencil, charcoal, and brush and ink illustrations play up the humor (e.g., in the example above, both cousins have wiped out) and the friendly -- and futile -- competition.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023