The Mexican Dreidel
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
Danielito loves Janucá, especially playing dreidel. This year, he is old enough to visit Bobe by himself. Piñatas hang from the trees, and the kids in Bobe’s neighborhood play with Mexican tops called trompos. Danielito does not have a trompo, but he has a dreidel. “What is that?” “¿Qué es eso?” the other kids ask, as they invite him to join their game. The trompos follow the dreidel as it spins through the neighborhood. And Danielito invited his new friends, nuevos amigos, to Bobe’s house to celebrate Janucá.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Visiting his grandmother, Bobe, solo for Janucá, Danielito notices the other kids in the neighborhood playing with trompos—traditional Mexican tops. Bobe only has a dreidel on hand, but after Danielito joins the other kids and gives it an initial spin, the dreidel becomes a perpetual motion machine that revives and rallies the fallen trompos. With the rosy-cheeked children in merry pursuit, the dreidel leads the trompos "through the park, around the neighborhood, in and out of stores, under pushcarts filled with food, and across blankets spread with wares," Marshall and Stavans write, incorporating italicized Spanish phrases. The adventure ends back at Bobe's house, where Daniel introduces the children to buñuelos, latkes, and a dreidel-shaped piñata. Mola's chalky, bright-hued images, which portray characters with brown skin, evoke a sunny, cozy town and the fun of sharing with "nuevos amigos." An afterword provides details on Mexico's Jewish community. Ages 4–8.
