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Zigazak!

A Magical Hanukkah Night

Author Eric A. Kimmel
Illustrated by Jon Goodell
Hardcover
$16.99 US
RH Childrens Books | Doubleday Books for Young Readers
8.75"W x 11.13"H x 0.37"D  
On sale Sep 25, 2001 | 32 Pages | 9780385326520
Preschool - 2
Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies
Jewish folklore comes to life in this magical Hanukkah story!

On the first night of Hanukkah, two tricky devils arrive in the town of Brisk to cause mischief. They use a magic word " Zigazak!" to make dreidels dance and latkes fly. The good citizens of Brisk panic and appeal to their wise rabbi for help. He triumphs over the devils in a contest of wits, and soon sends them packing. But his real triumph is the ability to see the good in all things, even devils' tricks, helping the townsfolk enjoy their most magical Hanukkah ever.
Eric A. Kimmel was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1946. After graduating from Lafayette College in 1967, he worked as a teacher and librarian in New York and the United States Virgin Islands. In 1973 he completed his doctorate in education at the University of Illinois. He and his wife Doris live in Portland, Oregon, where Dr. Kimmel was formerly Professor of Education at Portland State University.

A noted storyteller, Dr. Kimmel has performed for children and adults throughout the United States. He is a nationally known authority on literature for children, as well as a frequent contributor to Cricket magazine. His many interests include bird watching, baking bread, brewing beer, spinning, traveling by train, and riding horses. His latest accomplishment is learning to play the banjo.

"I love old things: old books, old pictures, old tools, old songs, and especially old stories. My earliest memories are of my grandmother telling me stories she remembered from her own childhood in Europe. The best present I ever received was a volume of Grimm's Fairy Tales, which I loved so much that I literally read it to pieces. Somehow, I always knew that I was going to be a writer when I grew up, and that I would share the stories I loved so much with others.

"Sometimes someone will say, 'But you changed the story!' Of course I did. I always do. So does every storyteller. Stories aren't dead relics, preserved in a jar or stuffed and put into a glass case for people to gawk at. They are alive, and like all living things they grow and change. You are not the same person you were yesterday. You are not the person you will be tomorrow. So it is with stories. They change each time they are told. They change with each teller. They change as they move across continents and generations. That is why I find being a teller of tales so exciting. It allows me to add something of myself to each story, just as each story adds something of itself to me."

Eric Kimmel is well known for his humorous original tales, including Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

View titles by Eric A. Kimmel
Jon Goodell has filled many children's books with his beautiful and cheerful illustrations, including Zigazak!; Mother, Mother, I Want Another; and Andiamo, Weasel! He lives in Norman, Oklahoma.  View titles by Jon Goodell
"The most imaginative Hannukah tale of the season."—Publishers Weekly

An Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book for Young Readers

About

Jewish folklore comes to life in this magical Hanukkah story!

On the first night of Hanukkah, two tricky devils arrive in the town of Brisk to cause mischief. They use a magic word " Zigazak!" to make dreidels dance and latkes fly. The good citizens of Brisk panic and appeal to their wise rabbi for help. He triumphs over the devils in a contest of wits, and soon sends them packing. But his real triumph is the ability to see the good in all things, even devils' tricks, helping the townsfolk enjoy their most magical Hanukkah ever.

Author

Eric A. Kimmel was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1946. After graduating from Lafayette College in 1967, he worked as a teacher and librarian in New York and the United States Virgin Islands. In 1973 he completed his doctorate in education at the University of Illinois. He and his wife Doris live in Portland, Oregon, where Dr. Kimmel was formerly Professor of Education at Portland State University.

A noted storyteller, Dr. Kimmel has performed for children and adults throughout the United States. He is a nationally known authority on literature for children, as well as a frequent contributor to Cricket magazine. His many interests include bird watching, baking bread, brewing beer, spinning, traveling by train, and riding horses. His latest accomplishment is learning to play the banjo.

"I love old things: old books, old pictures, old tools, old songs, and especially old stories. My earliest memories are of my grandmother telling me stories she remembered from her own childhood in Europe. The best present I ever received was a volume of Grimm's Fairy Tales, which I loved so much that I literally read it to pieces. Somehow, I always knew that I was going to be a writer when I grew up, and that I would share the stories I loved so much with others.

"Sometimes someone will say, 'But you changed the story!' Of course I did. I always do. So does every storyteller. Stories aren't dead relics, preserved in a jar or stuffed and put into a glass case for people to gawk at. They are alive, and like all living things they grow and change. You are not the same person you were yesterday. You are not the person you will be tomorrow. So it is with stories. They change each time they are told. They change with each teller. They change as they move across continents and generations. That is why I find being a teller of tales so exciting. It allows me to add something of myself to each story, just as each story adds something of itself to me."

Eric Kimmel is well known for his humorous original tales, including Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

View titles by Eric A. Kimmel
Jon Goodell has filled many children's books with his beautiful and cheerful illustrations, including Zigazak!; Mother, Mother, I Want Another; and Andiamo, Weasel! He lives in Norman, Oklahoma.  View titles by Jon Goodell

Praise

"The most imaginative Hannukah tale of the season."—Publishers Weekly

An Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book for Young Readers

Other Books by this Author

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