In this fable set in a toyshop at Hanukkah, a greedy shop­keep­er pur­chas­es the most beau­ti­ful drei­del he has ever seen. He sells it for a hefty price to the father of a spoiled lit­tle girl who returns it because it wouldn’t spin. He then low­ers the price and sells it to the moth­er of a demand­ing lit­tle boy. Again, it is returned. When an impov­er­ished father and son enter the shop, the child is in awe of all the beau­ti­ful items, but obeys his father’s instruc­tions and doesn’t touch any­thing. The store own­er, moved by the child ​“who saw beyond price or appear­ance, one who under­stood what was tru­ly pre­cious” then gives the ​“dam­aged” drei­del to the child. Mag­i­cal­ly, the drei­del spins for him and the let­ters spell out ​“a small mir­a­cle hap­pened here” instead of ​“a mir­a­cle hap­pened there” (Jerusalem). As in all good lit­er­a­ture, the main char­ac­ter under­goes a pos­i­tive change. This moral­i­ty tale should pro­voke live­ly dis­cus­sions in both reli­gious and sec­u­lar spheres. 

The charm­ing old-world illus­tra­tions en­hance the text and the author’s note explains the sto­ry of Hanukkah and gives direc­tions on how to play the drei­del game. Rec­om­mend­ed for ages 5 and up.