Daddy Christmas and Hanukkah Mama

“I am a mix of two traditions,” begins Sadie’s story of her family’s way of blending religious traditions. Like the image of the dining table surrounded by a hodge-podge of mismatched chairs, each picture underscores the theme of blending elements to create an exciting whole (“How lucky am I?”). Alko’s (B Is for Brooklyn) prose tends to be blandly declarative (“Mountains of gifts are placed under the tree for eight nights of Hanukkah, plus Christmas Day”), but her illustrations grab attention, an exuberant combination of colors, textures, and images created by gouache, collage, and colored pencil. Ages 5–8. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Sept.)