The Peddler's Gift

The shtetl is also the setting for this atmospheric tale, which goes beyond Hanukkah in its poignantly handled themes about forgiveness. Narrator Leibush can't resist the temptation to pocket a dreidel that has fallen from the bags of a bumbling peddler, dubbed Shnook for his ineptitude. The lessons here are predictable (a repentant Leibush learns that the so-called simpleton is wise indeed), but Schur's (Sacred Shadows) colorful delivery and scene-setting give her message a fresh impact. Likewise, Root's (Hugh Can Do) watercolors make the quaintness of the shtetl secondary to the vulnerability of the characters. Ages 5-9. (Oct.)