Dear Santa, Love, Rachel Rosenstein
DEAR SANTA,
LOVE, RACHEL ROSENSTEIN
Written by Amanda Peet and Andrea Troyer
Illustrated by Christine Davenier
(Doubleday Books for Young Readers: $17.99, Ages 3-7)
(NOTE: Sing to the tune of If You’re Happy and You Know It) … If you’re Jewish and love Christmas raise your hand!
My hand goes up as does the titular Rachel Rosenstein’s in the delightful Dear Santa, Love, Rachel Rosenstein. And while the title certainly gives away the premise, the execution of this story is so entertaining it’s certain to keep readers turning the pages. In fact, this reader felt as though the story was written with her daughter in mind. Growing up in Frankfurt, Germany, my daughter yearned for all things Christmas, especially when the start of Hanukkah fell close to Christmas.
In this charming picture book with Davenier’s cheerful and atmospheric watercolor artwork which fans of Julie Andrews’s The Very Fairy Princess series may recognize, it’s easy to see why all Rachel wants for Hanukkah is Christmas. Shops are full of enticingly decorated windows, glowing stars light up the streets, pine trees and wreaths are everywhere with no sign of a Menorah, especially on Rachel’s street. “The Rosensteins didn’t celebrate Christmas because they were Jewish. Being Jewish was fun most of the time.” Rachel knew there were plenty of wonderful holidays and reasons to celebrate in Judaism, yet still yearned to share the accoutrements of the Christmas season. She wanted to string lights or have a tree, but her family wouldn’t give in to her requests.
The story’s humor kicks in full force when Rachel secretly writes a letter to Santa, then meets him in person and asks if he’s coming to her house. This is the part I can see parents having fun with when they read Dear Santa, Love, Rachel Rosenstein aloud. Like my daughter used to do, Rachel prepared the house with high hopes for Santa’s arrival, but alas he never came. Rather than leave young readers disappointed about Saint Nick’s no show, Peet and Troyer end this tale on a positive note, with the Jewish tradition of going out for a Chinese meal. There, to Rachel’s surprise, she sees “some familiar faces: Lucy Deng from her class, and Mike Rashid and Amina Singh.” It turns out that Rachel’s not the only one who doesn’t celebrate Christmas! I believe children, both Jewish and non-Jewish, will enjoy this picture book, whether or not they share Rachel’s sentiment because it gently and humorously depicts a different perspective of Christmas than what is typically in books. And I can raise my hand to that!
- Reviewed by Ronna Mandel
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