“Night descends, / the stars shine through. / Hushhhhhhh, / the white snow falls. / Hanukkah candles / burning bright. / Swisshhhh, / the wild wind calls.” Outside it may be peaceful and quiet, but a helter-skelter Hanukkah celebration is about to commence at the home of one white Jewish family. (Animal shadows appear as the child falls asleep, suggesting a dream.) “Whoosh! The door flies wide. / A plump and perky polar bear / invites himself inside!” Wearing a scarf and bearing a large, empty platter, the polar bear is joined on each of the following nights by other animals numbering as many as the current night of Hanukkah. Most of the raucous animal guests contribute culinary skills or ingredients for traditional Hanukkah foods. (The chimpanzees who arrive on the fifth night simply “fling flour.”) Amidst the celebratory chaos, the holiday comes together properly. There are latkes made by singing owls, and games of dreidel played by penguins. The human child reads the story of Hanukkah to the whole rowdy crew on the eighth night, and the candles in the menorah burn low as the shadows of the wild animals leap away into the darkness. The rhythmic, rhyming text gallops along, while the illustrations are bursting with movement and close-ups, emphasizing the crowdedness of the home. (Ages 4-8)

On the first night of Hanukkah, the door flies open and a perky polar bear walks into the house, shaking the snow from his fur. On the second night of Hanukkah, two crusty, crying crocodiles peel onions, followed the next night by three toothy tigers who’ve come to pluck potatoes from a sack. Every night more wild animals join the party, singing, making latkes, and spinning dreidels. As Hanukkah comes to an end, the stars twinkle, and the candles burn out. Then it’s time for bed.