Bibliography
Kimmel, Eric. 1989. Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins. Ill.
By Trina Schart Hyman. New York: Holiday House. ISBN: 978-0823407699
Brief plot summary
Hershel wanders into a
village on the first night of Hanukkah, but there is no celebration going on.
He learns that the local synagogue has been taken over by goblins that hate
Hanukkah and will not allow it to be celebrated. Hershel volunteers to get rid
of the goblins by spending eight nights in the synagogue and lighting the
candles each night. Hershel successfully outwits the goblins through trickery,
triumphantly rids the synagogue of them, and restores the village celebration
of Hanukkah.
Critical analysis
This is a humorous and
inspired adaptation of the traditional Hanukkah story in which the Syrians
forbade the Jewish people to worship as they wanted and the Jews fought back. In
this adaptation the goblins will not allow the local villagers to celebrate
Hanukkah and it is up to Hershel to battle the goblins in order to reestablish
Hanukkah for the villagers. The reader looks forward to each night in the story
when a new goblin will visit Hershel and he will triumphantly trick the goblin
and light another candle on the menorah.
Trina
Schart Hyman's illustrations portray the characters well and the goblins as
both comical and scary. There are
plenty of sinister shadows and disquieting darkness to offset the luminously lit
candles as the drama unfolds. The reader is drawn into the story through the
illustrations.
Children
who are unfamiliar with Hanukkah will need some background knowledge in order
to wholly enjoy the fullness of this folktale. While a very short history of
the celebration and its customs is included at the end of the book, it would
add depth to the story if more time were spent learning about this important
Jewish tradition.
Review excerpts
“Hyman's eerie and
effective artwork illuminates Kimmel's original tale of a wanderer who outwits
the demons who have prevented a village from celebrating Hanukkah.” – Booklist
“…this is a rip-roaring
good story that succeeds on more levels than it fails.” – School Library Journal
“This
book is welcome both as a Hanukkah story and as a trickster tale.” – Horn Book Magazine
“Kimmel provides a
humorous, entertaining and just slightly scary story for all young readers.
Hyman's illustrations emphasize all of the tension with dark scenes of the
goblins and their attempts to frighten Hershel.” – Children's Literature Review
Awards / Best Books
Caldecott Medal Honor Book, 1990
National Council for the
Social Studies Notable Book, 1990
National Council of
Teachers of English Notable Book, 1992
Colorado Children's Book
Award, 1992
Washington Children's
Choice Picture Book Award
Classroom Connections
This book could be
included as students learn about multicultural holidays that are celebrated in
winter: Hanukkah, St. Lucia Day, Las Posadas, Kwanzaa, and Chinese New Year.
Students learn how to play
the dreidl game and experience eating potato latkes.
Pair this book with a
kid-friendly history of Hanukkah and then have students look for similarities
and differences between the readings.
Pair this book with Eric
Kimmel’s The Adventures of Hershel of
Ostropol (ISBN 978-0823414048) to make connections with other tales associated with Hershel.
Other books by Eric Kimmel
that could be paired with Hershel and the
Hannukah Goblins:
The Story of Esther: A Purim Tale. ISBN: 978-0823422234
A Hanukkah Treasury. ISBN: 978-0805052930
The Golem's Latkes. ISBN: 978-0761459040
