The sto­ry of Hanukkah is clear­ly and suc­cinct­ly retold for chil­dren in this charm­ing, well-writ­ten tale. The text is accom­pa­nied by out­stand­ing col­or illus­tra­tions that bring the Mac­cabees to life in an acces­si­ble man­ner as they fight brave­ly, clean the debris from the destroyed Tem­ple, and hunt for an untouched jug of oil so they can prop­er­ly relight the menorah.

Due to the excel­lent train­ing pro­vid­ed by their mom, Mrs. Mac­cabee, who taught them much about neat­ness and house­keep­ing, their quest is suc­cess­ful and they locate the small bot­tle of puri­fied oil they need to accom­plish their goal. They are proud of them­selves, and this is an impor­tant part of the ​“great mir­a­cle” that ​“hap­pened here.”

An author’s note explains more about the his­to­ry of Hanukkah and the rab­binic tra­di­tion of can­dle-light­ing. The illus­tra­tions fea­ture the faces of smil­ing Mac­cabees cel­e­brat­ing their hol­i­day with great joy.

This is an intro­duc­tion to the hol­i­day of Hanukkah that is suit­able for young chil­dren, and it can be a jump­ing-off point for dis­cus­sion of the his­to­ry and cus­toms of the festival.