Red and Green and Blue and White

Isaac and his best friend and neighbor Teresa, both of whom appear white, have a lot in common: "They both loved playing in the snow,/ counting down to the holidays,// and thought you couldn't have too many sprinkles on a cookie." But Isaac is a member of the town's Jewish minority--"On a block dressed up in Red and Green,/ one house shone Blue and White"--and his family's menorah window display becomes the target of a hate crime. Wind's lightly fictionalized version of the 1993 incident wherein a community stood up to bigotry, taping pictures of menorahs to their own windows in solidarity, is conveyed with lyrical simplicity. The visual treatment here is particularly striking--Caldecott Medalist Zelinsky's vibrant digital art has the bold, rough-hewn textures of scratch block, and dramatic compositions that recall sweeping cinematography emphasize fraught emotions in this moving historical tale that encourages taking a stand. Back matter features an author's note that provides additional historical context. Ages 4-7. (Oct.)

Gr 1-5--In The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate, Janice Cohn described in great detail how the people of Billings, Montana, joined together in 1993 to fight a series of hate crimes against one of their Jewish neighbors. Wind has simplified this true story with beautiful, poetic text paired with Zelinksy's rich, layered, and stunning illustrations. On Chanukah, Isaac lights the menorah in his front window, making his house glow blue and white in the night, "on a block dressed up in Red and Green." When a rock smashes Isaac's window, his family is afraid to light their menorah. But, "if they didn't, Isaac knew it would be like hiding they were Jewish. That didn't feel right." In a simple act of compassion and solidarity, Isaac's best friend and neighbor, Teresa, affixes a hand-drawn picture of a menorah to her front window, so that "through the paper, the light shone Blue and White." Others followed Teresa's example, and within three weeks menorahs were displayed in more than 10,000 windows so that the entire town glowed "Red and Green and Blue and White." While the source of the violence is never stated or explained, the dark, expressive illustrations depict the scary, emotional scene with sensitivity. A brief author's note explains, "the people in Billings chose to not just stand by and be BYstanders while bad things happened to others .They chose to be UPstanders." VERDICT A powerful and inspiring example of community, friendship, respect, and love.--Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL