J Is for Janucá - by Melanie Romero (Hardcover)

About the Book

Grab your dreidels and start frying your latkes; the Festival of Lights is fast approaching! This alphabetical hardcover delves into each letter of the Spanish alphabet to bring to life the many items - from aceite and bendiciones to papas and tierra - that shed light on the miracle of Hanukkah. Observe families lighting the menorah, spinning the dreidel, hearing the Hanukkah story, and feasting on kugel and sufganiyot for eight precious nights.

Book Synopsis

Introduce your little ones to the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, or Janucá, and how illuminated candles remind us of miracles!

Grab your dreidels and start frying your latkes - the Festival of Lights is fast approaching!

This alphabetical hardcover delves into each letter of the Spanish alphabet to bring to life the many items - from aceite and bendiciones to kugel and tierra - that shed light on the miracle of Hanukkah. Observe families lighting the menorah, spinning the dreidel, hearing the Hanukkah story, and indulging in latkes and sufganiyot for eight precious nights.

This holiday hardcover is Cassie Gonzales's debut as a children's book illustrator; her colorful illustrations honor the palette and importance of Hanukkah. Parents will appreciate this bilingual English-Spanish hardcover due to the celebration of Hanukkah, but also for the cultural, religious, and historical symbolism behind the Jewish holiday that occurs around the same season as Christmas and holds a special meaning in the multicultural Latin-Jewish community.

Review Quotes

"There are so many reasons why I'm glad this book exists: It's a beautiful addition to Hanukkah kids' lit for Jewish Americans -- especially Latinx Jews who don't have many books catered to them. It's a way to introduce non-Spanish-speaking Jewish children to a new language early on. And it's also a great introduction to the Jewish holiday for Spanish-speaking homes; after all, Spanish is the second most popular language in this country."--Lior Zaltzman "Kveller" (11/28/2022 12:00:00 AM)

"The colorful, design-heavy art by debut picture book illustrator Gonzales is bright and welcoming. The cheerful pinks, oranges, and teals not usually associated with Hanukkah books make this primer stand out among the usual fare. This charming abecedarian on the Festival of Lights fills a gap in Spanish/English bilingual collections."--Shelley M. Diaz "School Library Journal" (9/9/2022 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Melanie Romero is a trilingual writer based in Orange County with overseas connections in Mexico City, Paris, and London. It was during childhood weekend trips to Randy's $1-a-book stall at the OC Market Place that she discovered a passion for reading and, eventually, writing. Today, she serves as the Editor at Lil' Libros. In her free time, she can be found indulging in challah and kanelbullar or getting lost among the shelves of independent bookstores.

Cassie Gonzales is a Mexican Jewish illustrator and designer. She received her BFA from Pratt Institute and has worked as a book cover designer ever since. Cassie lives and works in a small apartment in New York City. J is for Janucá is her debut as a picture book illustrator.