The Extraordinary Dreidel is a very sweet story filled with lively and colorful illustrations. It will delight cat lovers and young children. The diverse family is an added bonus. It is a fun holiday read.

This would be a great addition to a diverse holidays unit for elementary students or to any library. I loved the plot and the twist at the end -- I didn't see that coming! I love how the plot highlighted the importance of the dreidel and I learned more about the dreidel and Hannukah. I always love to see more Hannukah books and this was no exception. I recommend!

I thought this was an excellent book for children and I read the book with my 6 year old daughter and I am not ashamed to admit that I learnt more from the book than I had expected.

The book does a really good job at explaining Jewish history while telling the story – it is done really well and the illustrations really bring the book to life.

This would be an ideal book to have at primary schools. My daughter attends a Catholic school so she was really intrigued to find out more from this book as it covered things she hadn’t learnt yet in school – as a mum I thought it was really informative in a fun way too

The story was well written and the illustrations were cute and we enjoyed the story – it is 5 stars from me for this one – very highly recommended!

I thought this was an excellent book for kids. It does a good job at explaining the Jewish history while telling the story. It would be very informative for students who are not aware of the religion.

Definitely a different take on a Hanukkah miracle! A quick, lighthearted read about a big dreidel and the furry creatures that find a home inside it. A perfectly fine addition to the Hanukkah book canon.

The Extraordinary Dreidel
by Devorah Omer
A cute multicultural story showing a family tradition and nostalgic memory.
A gift of a large dreidel not only shows some of the meaning but family dynamics for a young boy and his sister.
Making some of the tradition less religious but more common place.

Sundown today sees the beginning of Hanukkah for those who celebrate it, and this lovely picture book would make a perfect Hanukkah gift for pre-school/infant age children.

The book has super illustrations from Aviel Basil which support the story about a dreidel with a hidden compartment. As the children debate what they could hide in there, the family pet finds an excellent use for it herself.

It has a delightful ending which children will love.

It would be a great addition to the infant classroom to aid teaching about Judaism and it's festivals.

I’m always looking for new Hanukkah stories. This one is a sweet one about a dreidel and a surprise miracle. Kids will love it.

A delightful new addition to the Chanukah shelf - two of my grandchildren enjoyed it with me! Always wonderful to see new works to read with our youngest familiy members - colorful and fun!

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley because I was curious about the book. It is a lovely wholesome little tale - although it is aimed at children, I think parents will get a lot out of it too. (I'm not a parent but I am not a child either. I'm an older reader and greatly appreciated the tale a lot.)

The plot revolves around a special dreidel and Hanukkah and the main character's quest to find something to store in the dreidel. I won't reveal what the outcome is because that would spoil everything but it is very very wholesome. I'm also not Jewish and I feel as though I've learnt something from this book (which is a very good thing! I think children will take a lot more from this than even I did.) The illustrations are lovely too and add another layer of wholesomeness to the tale. Just lovely stuff all round.

A young boy gets a dreidel for Hanukkah with a secret compartment. He is excited to figure out what to put in it, but is delighted by what it ends up holding. I love the art style of this book. It feels somewhat 3D because the background and foreground have different color palettes. I enjoyed reading a book about Hanukkah too as those are harder to find than other winter holidays. The writing was a bit choppy, but I overall enjoyed the book and look forward to reading it with my preschool class.

This is a lovely picture book about a special dreidel with a hidden compartment and the surprise that is found inside.
A sweet book for Hanukkah.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

This cute Israeli Hanukkah story begins when a beloved uncle gives the children a very special giant dreidel with a secret compartment. There is a lot of discussion about what they should put inside the dreidel. The story which shows loving relationships within the family and a happy classroom has a sweet twist ending. Aviel Basil's illustrations which paint the characters with bright bold colors, include simple green line drawings for most of the backgrounds. This emphasises the focus on family that is predominant in the story. The artist has also subtly shown the diversity of Jews by giving the family darker skin tones.

Devorah Omer was a renown award winning Israeli children's author who wrote over 100 books during the last century. Shira Atik has done a fantastic job of translating and modernizing this little story. The story was delightful.

I only have one tiny issue with the book. A little something was lost in the translation. Although the story is universal, it takes place in Israel and there is a detail that may confuse non-Israelis. As the story ends, it mentions the four hebrew letters on the dreidel: Nun, Gimmel, Hay, and Peh. Throughout the world, dreidels have the four Hebrew letters Nes, Gadol, Hay, and Shin, which not only stand for the Yiddish words that give instructions for the game, but also stand for the Hebrew words "Nes gadol haya sham." (A great miracle happened there.) Many Jews may not be aware that in Israel the letters on dreidels have been changed to reflect the location. The shin has been changed to a Peh. The Hebrew abbreviation corresponds to "Nes gadol haya po." (A great miracle happened here.) An afterward with a short note to that fact would have been a welcome addition to this book. Once you know this difference, you can explain ti to the little ones while reading this delightful book.

I was lucky to receive a review copy from Green Bean Books and NetGalley. I whole heartedly recommend this book to any family with young children. It would also be great in any classroom that includes Hanukkah books.

Sweet Hanukkah story about a boy with a special dreidel....it has a secret compartment!

He is SO excited to bring to school to show his friends but before the Hanukkah party, it goes missing. He & his family look everywhere for the dreidel and find it in an unusual spot with an even more unusual guest (or guests as it may be).

You'll have to read to find out what happens! 6 year old loved it and perfect for the upcoming season.

Thank you to Net Galley for a free e copy of The Extraordinary Dreidel by Devorah Omer in exchange for a honest review.Gil and Nurit , a brother and sister, are given a very large dreidel by Uncle Haim and can’t decide what to put inside it for their Hanukkah celebration.Gil wants to have his friends at school to decide what to put inside it but he can’t find the dreidel when it is time to go to school.He finds a big surprise when he opens the closet.A feel good story that teaches all the meaning and spirit of Hanukkah.Well written.

Loved this story. Uncle gives his niece and nephew a special dreidel with a large secret compartment. There’s much discussion about what to hide in it. The conclusion was cute and sweet. Great illustrations.

I love this sweet book! It’s not teaching people about Hanukkah, it’s for an audience who already knows it. Which I love. The relationship within the family is wonderful. Which I love. The relationship between the student and his classmates and teacher is wonderful. Which I love. And, there’s a lovely twist at the end. Which I love. I can’t wait to get copies of this and share them as Hanukkah gifts.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword, Green Bean Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions

This book was very cute! I really enjoyed using it in my classroom with my students as part of our study of different religious holidays.

Thank you Pen & Sword, Green Bean Books, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this wonderful book. This is a fun Chanukah story with an unexpected twist. Colorful illustrations make the story even more enjoyable. Can’t wait to get this beautiful story for my grandchildren, now that it’s almost Chanukah.