Engineer Ari and the Hanukkah Mishap

by Deborah Bodin Cohen, Shahar Kober (Illustrator)

Overview

Hurrying home to celebrate Hanukkah, Engineer Ari screeches his train to a halt to avoid hitting a stubborn camel sitting on the tracks. The camel’s Bedouin owner invites Ari to his tent to await help, where the two have an impromptu Hanukkah celebration, and become friends.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761351450
Publisher:	Kar-Ben Publishing
Publication date:	09/01/2011
Series:	Kar-Ben Hanukkah Series
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	750L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Deborah Bodin Cohen was ordained at Hebrew Union College - Jewish institute of Religion. She is the author of many children's books including the Engineer Ari series, The Seventh Day, Papa Jethro, and Nachshon Who Was Afraid to Swim. Her books have received numerous honors, including a National Jewish Book award, Sydney Taylor honor designations and the Sugarman prize. She lives in Rockville, MD, with her husband David and three children.

Editorial Reviews

A camel, a train mishap and the holiday of Hanukkah bring together a Bedouin and a Jew in acts of kindness and camaraderie.

Eager to celebrate with friends in Jaffa, Ari balances an armload of sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts), dreidels, menorah, bottle of oil and the bag of Turkish coins as he rushes to the train he will drive to Jerusalem. On his way are several children playacting the story of the holiday, providing a tiny summary for readers, a device that is repeated throughout. Finally aboard and daydreaming a bit, Ari derails the caboose of his train when forced to make a sudden stop to avoid a camel sitting on the tracks. Rescue comes with the stubborn camel's owner, a Bedouin named Kalil ("friend" in Arabic), who sends for help while Ari graciously accepts Kalil's hospitality. "Your camel may be stubborn, but I was not careful." The observance of the first night of Hanukkah, coincidentally on the site of Modi'in, the ancient home of the Maccabees, is shared; Ari lights candles, sings blessings and teaches Kalil to play dreidel, and together they enjoy coffee with the sufganiyot. The late-19th-century atmosphere of the story is conveyed with gentle cartoons that move horizontally with the flow of a traveling train.

This addition to the series moves beyond the holiday with its implied message of friendship, cooperation and mutual respect for separate cultures sharing one homeland. (glossary, author's note)(Picture book. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews

Cohen and Kober return with another holiday happening for Engineer Ari. The train driver is hurrying home by train to celebrate Hanukkah when he is forced to stop abruptly for a pesky camel sitting on the tracks. The camel’s owner, Kalil, a Bedouin, assists Ari and invites him to his tent. As it grows dark, the two new friends begin the celebration of Hanukkah together. The interfaith message is not subtle, but it is an imaginative take on the familiar holiday. Train-loving children will especially appreciate Engineer Ari. Ages 5–9. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Ari was a train engineer. Hanukkah was about to begin and Ari was eager to quickly get to the home of his engineer friends, Nathaniel and Jessie to share this important celebration with them. Ari was bringing presents—sufganiyot (delicious jelly donuts), a bag of Turkish coins, a dreidel (a spinning top with four letters that stand for 'a great miracle happened here') and a Hanukkiah (a candelabra that holds candles that are lit on the eight nights of Hanukkah). As Ari drove the train to Jaffa, he began to daydream of Nathaniel’s potato latkes and Jessie’s voice singing the ritual Hanukkah blessings and he was distracted from driving the train. Then he saw it―a camel, sitting on the railroad tracks! Ari stopped the train―just in time! Whew! 'Garumf' grunted the camel sitting on the tracks. The camel was fine. The train was not. And the gifts Ari was bringing were spread out on the ground. What to do?

Then, Kalil, the owner of the camel, arrived. He was upset that his camel had caused the accident and helped Ari pick up the Hanukkah gifts. As they were picking up the Turkish coins, Ari noticed a very unusual coin. It wasn’t one of his Turkish coins; it was a Maccabean coin. The accident had happened in the place where the Maccabees had lived long ago—where the miracle of Hanukkah had begun!

The scattered Hanukkah gifts were picked up quickly and Ari, the devout Jew, invited Kalil, his new devout Muslim friend, to join him in celebrating Hanukkah.

When Ari was finally reunited with his friends, Nathaniel and Jessie, he said 'Miracles can still happen' because two men from such different backgrounds came together in a special place to celebrate such a special occasion. And the camel’s response? 'Garumf!'

Quill says: This imaginative story of two different traditions, two different faiths, two different men united in a new friendship celebrating a Jewish holiday rich with history and meaning will delight children between the ages of four to seven." Quill Book Review

From the Publisher

It's Hanukkah and Engineer Ari is off in his train to celebrate the holiday with his friends, Jessie and Nathaniel. He is carrying traditional sufganiyot (jelly donuts), dreidels, and Turkish coins. His Hannukiah (the correct name for the holiday candelabra) travels with him, too. Along the way, he passes children playing Maccabees and Syrians which leads to a streamlined retelling of the Hanukkah story. Interestingly, the way the story is phrased implies that there were not one but two Hanukkah miracles, the second being the defeat of the greater Syrian army by the small band of Jewish guerilla fighters. Little girls near the tracks play dreidel, but since the story takes place in Jerusalem, the letters on the spinning toy represent, "A miracle happened here," rather than the Diaspora translation of, "A miracle happened there." As Ari takes off on his journey, his train is derailed by a wayward camel and his presents are spilled from the train. A friendly Bedouin shepherd helps to retrieve the gifts and offers Ari traditional hospitality as they share Ari's celebration on the first night of the holiday. By the time Jessie and Ari arrive from Jaffa to help right the train, Ari has solidified a new friendship and discovered that he is celebrating the holiday on the actual site of the Maccabees' uprising. There's a lot of good historical information packed into this charming book, and the synopsized story of the origin of the holiday is perfectly woven into the story of new friends, old traditions, all illustrated with cheery and colorful pictures children will love. Reviewer: Lois Rubin Gross

Children's Literature - Lois Rubin Gross

K-Gr 2—As Engineer Ari walks through Jerusalem with his arms full of packages for Hanukkah, he meets two boys reenacting the tale of brave Judah Maccabee and two girls playing the dreidel game. Later, when his train breaks down, Ari is aided by a Bedouin shepherd who puts him back on the right track. As with the earlier Engineer Ari books, this one combines simple charm with a good-hearted message, all wrapped up in a bit of interesting history about the first steam engine to travel between Jaffa and Jerusalem in 1892. Of particular note is that the dreidel displays a different set of letters than those most children are familiar with, because in Israel the great miracle of Hanukkah happened "here," not "there." Combining cheerful illustrations, a friendly text, appealing characters, and a bright red train, this holiday book is sure to please.—Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library

School Library Journal