WHEN MINDY SAVED HANNUKAH
Scholastic Press 1998
Written by Eric Kimmel
Illustrated by Barbara McClintock
Mindy Klien and her family live in a crack in the wall of New York's
historic Eldridge Street Synagogue. Right before Hanukkah, an encounter
with the synagogue cat leaves her father with an injured ankle, it's
up to Mindy to face the ferocious feline and get a candle for the menorah.
In the process, she gains a true appreciation of the meaning of the holiday.
( Ages 4-8 )
“The story and pictures are a perfect combination; with a humorous text and exquisite watercolor, black-ink, and gouache illustrations. Minute details and clever touches abound... The double-paged inside view of the [Eldridge Street] synagogue is breathtaking. A spirited story with a diminutive heroine whose courage speaks volumes.” — School Library Journal
“Part Hanukkah story, part tribute to the historic Eldridge Street Synagogue in New York City...McClintock's detailed period illustrations...have quiet fun with the tiny Jewish immigrant family and [Mindy] the intrepid adventurer in a giant world. You don't have to be big to be mighty.” — Booklist