Harvest of Light

Children's Literature - Ali Fell

A little Israeli girl helps her family gather and prepare olives for use. Finally, the family enjoys their produce as food on the dinner table and as oil, which provides light for their menorah during Hanukkah. The book is meant to teach children about the process involved in rending olives to be of use to humans, but delightful, personal details are threaded through the narrative so that the reader becomes involved with the little girl who tells the story. The author is able to paint vivid pictures of the girl's loving involvement with her family and with her work. The writing is clean, but not simplistic; it is supplemented by colorful, well-composed, and instructive photographs that can just be appreciated or can be used with small children as stimuli for question-answer learning sessions. Perhaps best of all for caregivers who read this book to very young children, even adults can learn from the content of the book and will probably find it interesting. The publisher, Kar-Ben, has demonstrated a dedication to the making of high-quality books about Israel. The pages are made of high-grade paper and the book is constructed for long wear. Reviewer: Ali Fell

School Library Journal

Gr 1-3

In this wonderfully different Hanukkah book, an Israeli family harvests olives to be processed into the oil. The daughter provides a simple narrative, which is clearly written and accompanied by full-color photographs depicting each step in the process from gathering and sorting the olives to pressing them and using the oil to light the menorah. Resonating with familial warmth and a shared purpose, this is a fine offering.-Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library