Skylar is happy to be on vacation with Daddy and Papa, but is also looking forward to lighting a Hanukkah menorah like they do at home. There’s just one problem: no one packed any of their menorahs! Luckily, Skylar has an idea—and it’s not too much of a spoiler to say it gives the book its title. But said banana gets mushy and can’t be used for the second night of the holiday. Skylar ends up having to be resourceful for the first four nights of the eight-day holiday, finding various imaginative ways to create a menorah.
For the fifth night, the family is back home with their “tried and true” menorahs. But Skylar had so much fun coming up with new ones, she doesn’t want to stop. The family ends up blending old and new traditions, and celebrating with additional creative menorahs (each of which gets a delightful spread) as well as their old, comforting ones.
The tale is a pure delight, while also echoing the traditional Hanukkah story in that it’s about finding oneself short of resources but not giving up. Author Lee Wind based the book on his own childhood experience, we learn in an afterward. Backmatter also includes suggestions for how readers can safely engage in their own creative menorah explorations. It’s highly recommended—and likely to spark some holiday creativity.
