Letter on the Wind: A Chanukah Tale

After asking the local scribe to write a letter to send to the Almighty, Hayim gets his prayers to light the town's menorah answered just in time to celebrate Chanukah, but when the townsfolk become suspicious of his good deed, Hayim relies on his faith to convince everyone of the truth.

"Lamstein (Annie's Shabbat) polishes up timeless motifs about the mysterious ways of God in this dexterous retelling of a folktale from the Middle East. After a terrible drought, the poorest man in the village relies on his faith to bring everyone enough oil to light their menorahs for all the nights of Hanukkah: he writes his request and mails the letter to the Almighty 'on the wind.' Using the frames and panels characteristic of his compositions, Waldman (The Snowflake) gracefully evokes deserts, weathered Middle Eastern villages hugging barren mountainsides, and trees bending under the weight of thick, curving clouds. He also throws in anthropomorphized cottages with face-like features that move from dejected to glad expressions as the story concludes, injecting a discordant note into settings that otherwise heighten the humanity and organic spirituality of the tale. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

When there is no oil for Chanukah, Hayim, the poorest man in the village, sends the Almighty a letter, asking for help.