A very creative and playful tale of a parakeet and two families it brought together. Some Yiddish language and culture. The setting is Brooklyn, NY. - Marla S. ( )

A very creative and playful tale of a parakeet and two families it brought together. Some Yiddish language and culture. The setting is Brooklyn, NY. - Marla S. ( )

Originally published in 1980, in Singer's Hanukkah collection, The Power of Light, this holiday tale follows the story of a family and their parakeet. When the tropical bird appears at their Brooklyn window one cold Hanukkah night, the family in the story let him in, and named him Dreidel. When no one answers their advertisement about a lost bird, the family keep Dreidel as a pet, growing ever more fond of the Yiddish-speaking parakeet. Then one day the son of the family, now a college student, meets Dreidel's original owner at a party. Fortunately, the bird brings everyone together, rather than tearing them apart.

Although I guessed from the beginning how this tale would turn out, I still enjoyed reading the story of Dreidel. I was reminded a little bit of Patricia Polacco's For the Love of Autumn, which features an inadvertently match-making kitten. Because it is a Singer story originally intended for adults, the narrator of The Parakeet Named Dreidel is the father, rather than the child, but I think it will still have child appeal. Suzanne Raphael Berkson's artwork had a colorful, Quentin Blake-ish style, and adds to the fun. Recommended to readers looking for good new Hanukkah picture-books. ( )