Red and Green and Blue and White

Starred review from September 13, 2021
Isaac and his best friend and neighbor Teresa, both of whom appear white, have a lot in common: “They both loved playing in the snow,/ counting down to the holidays,// and thought you couldn’t have too many sprinkles on a cookie.” But Isaac is a member of the town’s Jewish minority—“On a block dressed up in Red and Green,/ one house shone Blue and White”—and his family’s menorah window display becomes the target of a hate crime. Wind’s lightly fictionalized version of the 1993 incident wherein a community stood up to bigotry, taping pictures of menorahs to their own windows in solidarity, is conveyed with lyrical simplicity. The visual treatment here is particularly striking—Caldecott Medalist Zelinsky’s vibrant digital art has the bold, rough-hewn textures of scratch block, and dramatic compositions that recall sweeping cinematography emphasize fraught emotions in this moving historical tale that encourages taking a stand. Back matter features an author’s note that provides additional historical context. Ages 4–7.

Starred review from November 1, 2021

Gr 1-5-In The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate, Janice Cohn described in great detail how the people of Billings, Montana, joined together in 1993 to fight a series of hate crimes against one of their Jewish neighbors. Wind has simplified this true story with beautiful, poetic text paired with Zelinksy's rich, layered, and stunning illustrations. On Chanukah, Isaac lights the menorah in his front window, making his house glow blue and white in the night, "on a block dressed up in Red and Green." When a rock smashes Isaac's window, his family is afraid to light their menorah. But, "if they didn't, Isaac knew it would be like hiding they were Jewish. That didn't feel right." In a simple act of compassion and solidarity, Isaac's best friend and neighbor, Teresa, affixes a hand-drawn picture of a menorah to her front window, so that "through the paper, the light shone Blue and White." Others followed Teresa's example, and within three weeks menorahs were displayed in more than 10,000 windows so that the entire town glowed "Red and Green and Blue and White." While the source of the violence is never stated or explained, the dark, expressive illustrations depict the scary, emotional scene with sensitivity. A brief author's note explains, "the people in Billings chose to not just stand by and be BYstanders while bad things happened to others .They chose to be UPstanders." VERDICT A powerful and inspiring example of community, friendship, respect, and love.-Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2021
Kids teach a valuable lesson about community spirit. A city block is ablaze with red and green lights for Christmas; one house glows blue and white for Hanukkah. This is where Isaac, a Jewish boy, lives, across the street from best friend Teresa, excitedly preparing for Christmas. They love lighting up their homes in holiday colors. After an antisemitic bigot smashes a window in Isaac's house, Isaac relights the menorah the next night, knowing if his family doesn't, it means hiding their Jewishness, which doesn't "feel right." Artistic Teresa supports Isaac by drawing a menorah, inscribed to her friend, and placing the picture in her window. What occurs subsequently is a remarkable demonstration of community solidarity for Isaac and his family from everyone, including the media. Galvanized into defiant action against hate, thousands of townspeople display menorahs in windows in residences and public buildings. This quiet, uplifting tale is inspired by an incident that occurred in Billings, Montana, in 1993. Readers will feel heartened at children's power to influence others to stand up for justice and defeat vile prejudice. The colorful illustrations, rendered digitally with brushes of the artist's devising, resemble scratch art. Isaac and Teresa are White, and there is some racial diversity among the townspeople; one child is depicted in a wheelchair. An author's note provides information about the actual event. The true meaning of the holiday season shines here. (Picture book. 5-8)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 15, 2021
Preschool-Grade 2 Every December Isaac's family places a blue-and-white Hanukkah menorah in their front window; neighbor Teresa's family (and others) decorate their windows in red and green for Christmas. One night someone throws a stone through Isaac's window, destroying his display as well as his sense of well-being. Despite fears, his family puts up another menorah the next night and are surprised (and gratified) to see that other neighbors do likewise. Based on a 1993 incident in Billings, Montana, Wind's straightforward account never preaches tolerance, instead allowing the courageous actions of community upstanders (people who stand up against bigotry rather than simply standing by) to set the example. Zelinsky's digital art features cheery, light-filled exteriors set against dark backgrounds; cozy interior scenes of holiday fun; and spreads emphasizing community solidarity with Isaac's family. The cover, a nighttime scene depicting concerned neighbors viewing Isaac's house through the broken glass, is particularly apt. This makes a thoughtful addition to the holiday shelves and a springboard to discussions of prejudice.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from November 1, 2021
The author begins: "On a block dressed up in Red and Green, one house shone Blue and White." He goes on to introduce a boy named Isaac and his best friend Teresa, who lives across the street. Isaac's family is Jewish and Teresa's is Christian. Both kids love to play in the snow, count down to the holidays, and eat cookies with lots of colorful sprinkles. Then one night an act of antisemitism shatters the idyll: someone throws a rock through Isaac's front window, breaking the menorah. After reporting this vandalism to the police, the family, understandably frightened, nevertheless decides to light the menorah again the next night. "If they didn't, Isaac knew it would be like hiding they were Jewish. That didn't feel right." Teresa makes a drawing of a menorah and hangs it in her window in solidarity. Soon hundreds of friends and neighbors join in to show their support, choosing to put their community first and to be (per the appended note touching on the real-life events that inspired the book) "UPstanders" instead of "BYstanders." Zelinsky's (most recently All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah, rev. 11/18) masterful use of light and shadow captures the celebratory joys of the season as well as the sinister undertones of the story. Several scenes are lit by streetlights or headlights of passing vehicles, and most pages are bathed in the soft glow of holiday lights against a dark blue sky. Everykids Isaac and Teresa are lively and openhearted, the lights of the future, "Stronger Together, Burning Bright." Luann Toth

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2021
The author begins: "On a block dressed up in Red and Green, one house shone Blue and White." He goes on to introduce a boy named Isaac and his best friend Teresa, who lives across the street. Isaac's family is Jewish and Teresa's is Christian. Both kids love to play in the snow, count down to the holidays, and eat cookies with lots of colorful sprinkles. Then one night an act of antisemitism shatters the idyll: someone throws a rock through Isaac's front window, breaking the menorah. After reporting this vandalism to the police, the family, understandably frightened, nevertheless decides to light the menorah again the next night. "If they didn't, Isaac knew it would be like hiding they were Jewish. That didn't feel right." Teresa makes a drawing of a menorah and hangs it in her window in solidarity. Soon hundreds of friends and neighbors join in to show their support, choosing to put their community first and to be (per the appended note touching on the real-life events that inspired the book) "UPstanders" instead of "BYstanders." Zelinsky's (most recently All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah, rev. 11/18) masterful use of light and shadow captures the celebratory joys of the season as well as the sinister undertones of the story. Several scenes are lit by streetlights or headlights of passing vehicles, and most pages are bathed in the soft glow of holiday lights against a dark blue sky. Everykids Isaac and Teresa are lively and openhearted, the lights of the future, "Stronger Together, Burning Bright."

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)