Friday, December 3, 2010

My Two Holidays: A Hanukkah and Christmas Story

My Two Holidays. Danielle Novack. Illustrated by Phyllis Harris. 2010. Scholastic. 32 pages.

One cold December morning, Sam woke up and looked out his window. Everything was covered with white snow. Winter was Sam's favorite time of year. He loved sledding, ice-skating, building snowmen, and, of course, celebrating the holidays. He was so excited that he jumped out of bed, got dressed, and ran downstairs. 

Sam celebrates two holidays. His mom is Jewish and celebrates Hanukkah. His father is Christian and celebrates Christmas. Sam has always loved celebrating both Hanukkah and Christmas. But one day at school he gets embarrassed by the teacher's question. She is asking each child to share about the holiday they celebrate that time of year. Sam feels uncomfortable because he is the only child to have two holidays to celebrate. Everyone else only has one. Sam wants to know why he is different. A cozy conversation with his mom changes his embarrassment to pride, the next day Sam is all too happy to share the wonderful news with his class that he has two holidays that he celebrates.


© Becky Laney of Young Readers

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