A plastic dreidel turns in a window cut out of the board book's spine in Spin the Dreidel! by Alexandra Cooper, illus. by Claudine Gévry, allowing youngsters to play the game while reading rhymes that double as instructions. Gévry's cozy illustrations show a family at play, cheering good spins and enjoying other traditions in the background. (S&S/Little Simon, $7.99 12p ages 3-7 ISBN 0-689-86430-2; Oct.)
A preschool classroom gets ready for an intergenerational celebration in the paper-over-board It's Hanukkah Time! by Latifa Berry Kropf, with photos by Tod Cohen. The kids mail invitations, create gifts and decorations, and even help stir the sufganiyot (donut) batter in preparation for the holiday. Cohen photographs the events leading up to the arrival of their grandparents and the ensuing games and songs. (Kar-Ben, $12.95 24p ages 2-6 ISBN 1-58013-120-4; Sept.)
Lee Bennett Hopkins edits two compilations of timely poems in the I Can Read series, both illus. by Melanie Hall. Hanukkah Lights: Holiday Poetry celebrates the Festival of Lights with 12 poems. Sidestepping the issue of gifts entirely, the economical poems (the longest poem is 16 lines) capture the spirit of the holiday from a kid's eye—view: the comforting radiance of the menorah in the dark of winter, the wonder of being part of a generations-old tradition. Hall's softly textured paintings combine visual flights of fancy with cozy scenes of Jewish domesticity. The duo's Christmas Presents: HolidayPoetry, on the other hand, surrenders to the gift-giving tradition, yet also discusses the spiritual event at the holiday's core. (HarperCollins, $15.99 each 32p ages 4-8 ISBN 0-06-008051-5; 0-06-008054-X; Oct.)
