REVIEWS:
"Our Choice" selection -
Canadian Children's Book Centre
"Yesterday's
Santa will be a welcome story to read during the holiday season when
cultures should co-exist, but often seem to collide -
Recommended" Harriet Zaidman CM Magazine, The Manitoba Library Association.
"Hartt-Snowbell has crafted
a compelling and funny story ... Gallinger's illustrations are richly
detailed and glow with an inner warmth"
Gary Curtis & Lee Prokaska, The Hamilton Spectator.
"In the search for stories about
specific holidays, 'Yesterday's Santa and the Chanukah Miracle' does an
excellent job of giving insight into the Jewish Holiday ... This book
would be a worthwhile addition to any collection."
Connie Forst, Resource Links, Vol 8, Number 4.
Hartt-Snowbell's use of
humor to address the relevant and significant themes of religious
understanding and acceptance is both refreshing and brilliant.
Yesterday's Santa and the Chanukah Miracle is not a book that meshes two
distinct religions but encourages children of minority religions to take
pride in their own faith and religious practices. The enchanting
dialogue, multi-dimensional characters, realistic illustrations, and
clever plot, make this a wonderful read-aloud book to be enjoyed by the
whole family. JD - reader review on
Amazon.com
"Sarah Hartt-Snowbell tells a
heart-warming story ... Annie is standing in line to talk to the
department store Santa Claus when she realizes that the man behind the
beard is her grandfather's friend, Simon Greenbaum. A Jewish
Santa?" Barbara
Greenwood, City Parent.
"I inevitably bristle
when the words Chanukah and Santa or Chanukah and Christmas are used in
the same sentence. You can, therefore, imagine my first impulse when
I read the title, "Yesterday's Santa and the Chanukah Miracle.
In fairness, however, I controlled myself and read the book.
Surprise! For a number of reasons I decided to recommend it.
First, the book honestly raises some of the issues Jewish children living
in a predominantly Christian environment face at Christmas time.
Second, the story describes an example of contemporary Jewish
poverty. Third, it shows children's ability to empathize and their
willingness to help."
Deanna Silverman, Ottawa Jewish Bulletin.
A humorous look at
culture clash..."Religious freedom, Annie. That's what Chanukah is
all about," her father tells her. "Take it from me, Annie, it's
okay to be different." ... a situation almost every Jewish
child faces sooner or later, so it is nice to see the dueling-holidays
addressed in such a realistic way..."
Donna
Freedman (from the critics) - Barnes and Noble
YESTERDAY'S
SANTA AND THE CHANUKAH MIRACLE
(The animated film)
Some of Canada's favorite stories from authors across the country
are coming to TV. Each episode contains two stories based on Canadian literary
works from authors across the country; they range from the serious to the
hilarious. This series makes for wonderful family viewing ... CBC-TV
YESTERDAY'S
SANTA AND THE CHANUKAH MIRACLE
(PrintBraille)
This book was
selected by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind to be made into
a PrintBraille edition.
For a kid who hated school
and hardly ever picked up a book, I really surprised myself! In 1995
or 1996 (or thereabouts), just for the fun of it, I signed up for an evening course, "Writing
for Children I" at George Brown College in
Toronto. It was great fun ... so I went on to participate in
"Writing for Children II" which evolved into a weekly workshop,
where writers gather to share their works-in-progress and engage in
serious (and sometimes brutal!) feedback and critiquing. When in "Writing for
Children I", which the group jokingly refers to as
"kindergarten", I wrote a twenty-line poem. Over
time, as I revised it and rewrote it, the poem kept growing and growing -
until it got out of hand! Eventually, it had expanded sufficiently
to fill a thirty-two page book! "A Little Something" is
my first children's book. The photo on the top right shows me at one of
my first readings - was I nervous? You bet!
