A Chanukah Noel

Sharon Jennings, illus. by Gillian Newland, Second Story (Orca, dist.), $15.95 (24p) ISBN 978-1-897187-74-6

Charlotte, a Jewish girl newly arrived in smalltown France, yearns to celebrate Christmas—which her parents firmly refuse to do. "Giving" Christmas to an impoverished Christian schoolmate enables Charlotte to do a good deed while vicariously experiencing the gentile world's holiday preparations. Newland's handsome, brooding watercolors aptly evoke a winter of discontent. While Charlotte's internal conflicts and sulky feelings of being left out ring true, some may be troubled by her unalloyed joy in assimilation. Ages 5–9. (Sept.)

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