The Horn Book Guide

RELIGION

Hesse, Karen

The Stone Lamp: Eight Stories of Hanukkah through History

40 pp. | Hyperion | September, 2003 | Trade ISBN 0-7868-0619-2 $$18.99

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Brian Pinkney. This impressionistic survey spans eight hundred centuries of Jewish history. In each of eight four-page sections, a free-verse passage from the point of view of a young witness or participant reflects on the strength that Hanukkah provides. It isn't clear if the narratives are based on actual individuals, and the voices sound a similar lyricism that accumulates into sentimentality. The art's energy lies in its vibrant layered colors.

Reviewer: Susan P. Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2003