Review: The Day I Became A Potato Pancake
The Day I Became A Potato Pancake
by Arie Kaplan, illustrated by Beilin Xu
Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House Publishers), 2024
Category: Middle Grade
Reviewer: Denise Ross
Buy at Bookshop.org
The Day I Became A Potato Pancake is a graphic novel combining science fiction with a Hanukkah theme, for students in grades 2-3. The story follows the adventures of two best friends, Naomi Hirsch and Ben Sherman. One day they are visiting Naomi’s family garage that is also her mom’s science lab. They are not supposed to touch or play with any of her experiments. Ben notices a new device that is called the “Transfogram”. The notes explain that the experimental machine will transform a person into whatever they are thinking about at the moment. Ben is eating a potato pancake and decides to push the button to see what the machine will do; Ben is transformed into a potato pancake! Ben attends school as a potato pancake and the reader will enjoy the reactions of their friends and the humor of the situation. The clock ticks as Naomi’s mother must create an antidote before sundown on the first night of Hanukkah, to save Ben from remaining a latke forever.
My favorite character in the story is the alien named Dreideltopian. He collects Hanukkah-themed objects from around the galaxy for his museum, and wants to add Ben to the collection.
The illustrations by Beilin Xu highlight the story with the use of bright colors and graphics to show the characters' expressions, connections with friends, and the Jewish themed concepts about Hanukkah.
Jewish and non-Jewish readers will enjoy this book. At the end of the book, the author includes an art project for the reader to imagine what Hanukkah would look like in space. The project includes an explanation about the holiday of Hanukkah and refers to the character in the story. I happily recommend this book to all readers.
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Reviewer Denise Ross is the volunteer librarian at the Albert Mendelson Library at Temple Solel in Cardiff, California and also works in the Genealogy Department at the Carlsbad City Library. Denise lives in Carlsbad, California with her family and enjoys genealogy, quilting and reading books with her new granddaughter.
The Day I Became A Potato Pancake is a graphic novel combining science fiction with a Hanukkah theme, for students in grades 2-3. The story follows the adventures of two best friends, Naomi Hirsch and Ben Sherman. One day they are visiting Naomi’s family garage that is also her mom’s science lab. They are not supposed to touch or play with any of her experiments. Ben notices a new device that is called the “Transfogram”. The notes explain that the experimental machine will transform a person into whatever they are thinking about at the moment. Ben is eating a potato pancake and decides to push the button to see what the machine will do; Ben is transformed into a potato pancake! Ben attends school as a potato pancake and the reader will enjoy the reactions of their friends and the humor of the situation. The clock ticks as Naomi’s mother must create an antidote before sundown on the first night of Hanukkah, to save Ben from remaining a latke forever.
My favorite character in the story is the alien named Dreideltopian. He collects Hanukkah-themed objects from around the galaxy for his museum, and wants to add Ben to the collection.
The illustrations by Beilin Xu highlight the story with the use of bright colors and graphics to show the characters' expressions, connections with friends, and the Jewish themed concepts about Hanukkah.
Jewish and non-Jewish readers will enjoy this book. At the end of the book, the author includes an art project for the reader to imagine what Hanukkah would look like in space. The project includes an explanation about the holiday of Hanukkah and refers to the character in the story. I happily recommend this book to all readers.
Are you interested in reviewing books for The Sydney Taylor Shmooze? Click here!
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