Review: Uri and the King of Darkness
Uri and the King of Darkness: A Hanukkah Story
by Nati Bait, illustrated by Carmel Ben Ami
Kalaniot Books (imprint of Endless Mountain Publishing), 2024
Category: Picture Books
Reviewer: Doreen Robinson
Buy at Bookshop.org
As siblings Uri and Shir await Dad's arrival on a dark winter’s night, Uri ponders why his father is late. Mom assures Uri that Dad will come and together they’ll light the first candle for Hanukkah. Looking out the window, Uri sees shadows and envisions an enemy army with spear and shield approaching, a parallel to the Hanukkah story of King Antiochus. The story continues with Uri worrying and wondering about his Dad, while the enemy king of darkness approaches. In a nod to Judah and the Maccabees, Uri finds the courage to be brave, and together with Shir, they proclaim that they’ll fight to fend off the darkness. And then, the door opens and…surprise! Spoiler alert: it’s Dad with a yummy, sweet jelly-filled treat! The story ends with the family celebrating Hanukkah – Uri lighting the first candle, saving the world from darkness and driving the enemy king away.
This delightful and clever story combines imagination and illustration to tell the story of Hanukkah, while also acknowledging a common childhood fear of darkness. It’s written in rhyme, which is hard to pull off, and translated from Hebrew by Ilanna Kurshan. Backmatter gives a brief summary of the story of Hanukkah and includes the blessings (in Hebrew, English, and transliteration) that we say when lighting Hanukkah candles.
The illustrations are perfectly suited for this story, depicting a Jewish home in that appears to be modeled after modern-day Israel, with sabra cacti and palm trees in several spreads.
The Jewish representation in this story starts with the character’s Hebrew names – Uri, which means my light or my flame, and Shir, which means song. Some of the illustrated spreads include a menorah and candle lighting, and there is a spread that mentions dreidels spinning and how a “Hanukkah miracle happened right here!” (which means the story takes place in Israel).
I think Jewish children will adore this story and will want to read it again and again. Even non-Jewish readers will come away with a basic understanding of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah and the underlying message that we all have the power to spread our light and conquer evil – a powerful and hopeful message during Hanukkah and all year round!
Reviewer Doreen Klein Robinson is a journalist and editor for community newspapers. As a first-generation American, she's proud of her Israeli heritage. Her feet are in Florida, but her heart is in Israel. She writes stories for children that spread Jewish joy. Am Yisrael Chai!
As siblings Uri and Shir await Dad's arrival on a dark winter’s night, Uri ponders why his father is late. Mom assures Uri that Dad will come and together they’ll light the first candle for Hanukkah. Looking out the window, Uri sees shadows and envisions an enemy army with spear and shield approaching, a parallel to the Hanukkah story of King Antiochus. The story continues with Uri worrying and wondering about his Dad, while the enemy king of darkness approaches. In a nod to Judah and the Maccabees, Uri finds the courage to be brave, and together with Shir, they proclaim that they’ll fight to fend off the darkness. And then, the door opens and…surprise! Spoiler alert: it’s Dad with a yummy, sweet jelly-filled treat! The story ends with the family celebrating Hanukkah – Uri lighting the first candle, saving the world from darkness and driving the enemy king away.
This delightful and clever story combines imagination and illustration to tell the story of Hanukkah, while also acknowledging a common childhood fear of darkness. It’s written in rhyme, which is hard to pull off, and translated from Hebrew by Ilanna Kurshan. Backmatter gives a brief summary of the story of Hanukkah and includes the blessings (in Hebrew, English, and transliteration) that we say when lighting Hanukkah candles.
The illustrations are perfectly suited for this story, depicting a Jewish home in that appears to be modeled after modern-day Israel, with sabra cacti and palm trees in several spreads.
The Jewish representation in this story starts with the character’s Hebrew names – Uri, which means my light or my flame, and Shir, which means song. Some of the illustrated spreads include a menorah and candle lighting, and there is a spread that mentions dreidels spinning and how a “Hanukkah miracle happened right here!” (which means the story takes place in Israel).
I think Jewish children will adore this story and will want to read it again and again. Even non-Jewish readers will come away with a basic understanding of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah and the underlying message that we all have the power to spread our light and conquer evil – a powerful and hopeful message during Hanukkah and all year round!
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