Review: The Golden Dreidel
The Golden Dreidel
by Ellen Kushner, illustrated by Kevin Keele
Charlesbridge
Category: Middle Grade
Reviewer: Dena Bach
The Golden Dreidel, by fantasy author Ellen Kushner, is a re-issue of
the 2007 book The Golden Dreydl, itself a novelization of the 2002
recording, stage show, and concert, of the same name by Kushner and the
Shirim Klezmer Orchestra. Billed as “A Klezmer Nutcracker for Chanukah,”
the recording, like the book, is a charming mash-up of the famous
Tchaikovsky ballet with klezmer music and Jewish folklore.
The Golden Dreidel follows the plot of "The Nutcracker," with a
dreidel that comes to life. The narrative begins when Sara, envious of
her non-Jewish friends during the winter holiday season, reluctantly
goes to her extended family’s annual Chanukah party. While Sara is
playing a game of dreidel with her cousins, the mysterious Tante Miriam
arrives at the party bringing gifts for all the children. At midnight,
Sara’s gift, a special golden dreidel, is revealed as a princess who
leads Sara on an adventure into a magical world filled with riddles and
stories, and characters from Jewish folklore, including the Queen of
Sheba, King Solomon, and the Demon King, Ashmedai.
Though I admit to missing the old-fashioned quality of the klezmer music
along with the story, the new illustrations for this edition add a
more contemporary feel than the 2007 edition, and welcome diversity in
Sara and the Queen of Sheba. The narrative has plenty of action, jokes,
and silly riddles to attract a reader on the younger side of the target
age, as well as an explanation of the dreidel game for the uninitiated.
The Jewish content of the story is not limited to the Chanukah framing story. After the Chanukah party and dreidel game, as the story roams far from traditional Chanukah stories into fantasy, it is through a Jewish lens. The names of well-known figures in Jewish folklore are included, though not much is told of these stories. It is interesting that Kushner chooses “The Nutcracker,” a quintessential Christmas story, and gives Tante Miriam a familiar sack of gifts, in order to address the feelings of a Jewish child who finds the winter holidays a difficult time. At the end of the narrative, Sara feels good about her adventure, but does not directly address her issues of missing out. But if this book sends just one child like Sara on a search through Jewish texts to learn more about the legends involving of King Solomon, the Queen of Sheba and the Demon King, it will be successful in a Jewish context. I'd recommend a search for "The Golden Dreydl" klezmer recording as well.
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