Why is Chanukah?

About the Book

Designed to be read aloud to children from three to eight years old, Why Is Chanukah? is a delightful retelling of the Old Testament story of the Maccabees, how they overcame their brutal Syrian rulers, and why Jews still celebrate this victory by lighting candles during the holiday of Chanukah.

The story is told in the form of a lighthearted, rollicking, Seuss-like poem, originally written for teachers who read it aloud during the winter holidays for several years at an Early Childhood Education daycare center. The children, from diverse backgrounds and families of all faiths, were fascinated and begged to hear it again and again, as children do with their favorite tales.

Despite the endearing simplicity of the illustrations, all details of clothing, spears, lamp, and so on, are historically accurate. One of the added attractions is the way the illustrations of menorahs for consecutive nights are placed, so that if the pages are rapidly flipped, it appears that the candles are relighting themselves in increasing numbers. To help readers field questions that will invariably pop up (or just to satisfy their own curiosity), at the back of the book they will find two pages of explanations and pronunciations.

About the Author

Jenny Garden is a freelance writer and the chief copy editor of her group, The Write Idea (www.thewriteidea.com). This is her first children's book. Her articles, ranging from ESP to oil spill cleanup, have appeared in various magazines, and her highly-praised book, The (almost) Painless Divorce: What Your Lawyer Won't Tell You, remains a five-star amazon.com favorite (more information available at www.almostpainlessdivorce.com). She has edited a wide variety of books, articles, and web sites on subjects ranging from coffee production, community development, health, and international trade, to heavy machinery, industrial equipment, and window manufacturing, to mention just a few.

Jenny holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Her major study was in romance languages, with a minor in psychology. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Sigma Iota, and Alpha Lambda Delta honorary fraternities and also belongs to the Authors Guild, PEN, the American Copy Editors Society (ACES), and the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA).

Mother of four and grandmother of two, Jenny Garden lives and writes in Everett, Washington.