cover image ZIGAZAK! A Magical Hanukkah Night

ZIGAZAK! A Magical Hanukkah Night

Eric A. Kimmel, , illus. by Jon Goodell. . Doubleday, $15.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-385-32652-0

In the most imaginative Hanukkah book this season, Kimmel (Gershon's Monster) peoples an old-world town with mischievous demons, easily alarmed villagers and a wise and crafty rabbi. The brio of the storytelling doesn't shy from a moral: "Sparks of goodness exist in all things, even in devils' tricks." Goodell (Mice Are Nice) portrays the demons as ugly monsters, the goofy gleam in their eyes only partially dampening their scariness, and his humans are mildly grotesque. A dark palette adds to the shiver-inducing effect. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)