Don’t Invite a Bear Inside for Hanukkah by Karen Rostoker-Gruber and illustrated by Carles Arbat was exactly what I expected it to be. With that said, it is cute, funny and shows the values of the season. I wish I had found it before today (the first day of Hanukah), but it will work for the other days of the celebration, and for next year as well.
We have a young child decorating for the holiday. They see a bear outside and though the narrator says not to, they invite the bear inside. Now at first, things are okay (granted a few mishaps that could have happened to anyone occur), but quickly things get out of hand when the food is smelled by the bear. The theme then turns to learning about your guest, and then making up for your part in the misunderstanding of things.
Overall, everything is nice. It is cute, it is bright, it is upbeat. There is a clever silliness to things. It might not become a classic, but it is an adorable book to have when your children are young, or it is a nice way to introduce the idea to people who do not celebrate without going into great detail. And this is all supported with similar illustrations. The two aspects support and complement each other. It is currently available but I did read it via an online reader copy. I will not be giving this one as a gift (as my friends who would be interested in it no longer have young children, or have them yet), but it is something that I do recommend. A few extras at the end wrap things up for the adults and it has a small glossary.