Little Red Ruthie

A fun new spin on the classic fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood featuring Jewish tradition and food. It was a chilly winter in the northern woods, but Ruthie did not mind. Dressed in her favorite puffy red coat, she was going to spend Hanukkah with her grandmother, who lived on the other side of the forest. Ruthie was bringing sour cream and applesauce to go along with the yummy latkes. She carefully packed her basket and kissed her mother good-bye. Snow began to fall. Soon Ruthie was lost in a thicket, and she was not alone. Someone was hiding behind the tree, and when he jumped out, Ruthie found herself face to face with a wolf. Ruthie will have to convince the wolf that eating latkes will be tastier than eating her!

The Little Way of Ruthie Leming follows Rod Dreher, a Philadelphia journalist, back to his hometown of St. Francisville, Louisiana (pop. 1,700) in the wake of his younger sister Ruthie's death. When she was diagnosed at age 40 with a virulent form of cancer in 2010, Dreher was moved by the way the community he had left behind rallied around his dying sister, a schoolteacher. He was also struck by the grace and courage with which his sister dealt with the disease that eventually took her life. In Louisiana for Ruthie's funeral in the fall of 2011, Dreher began to wonder whether the ordinary life Ruthie led in their country town was in fact a path of hidden grandeur, even spiritual greatness, concealed within the modest life of a mother and teacher. In order to explore this revelation, Dreher and his wife decided to leave Philadelphia, move home to help with family responsibilities and have their three children grow up amidst the rituals that had defined his family for five generations-Mardi Gras, L.S.U. football games, and deer hunting. As David Brooks poignantly described Dreher's journey homeward in a recent New York Times column, Dreher and his wife Julie "decided to accept the limitations of small-town life in exchange for the privilege of being part of a community."

Ruthie loves tiny things and when she finds a tiny camera on the playground she is very happy, but after she lies and says the camera belongs to her, nothing seems to go right. 25,000 first printing.

Sam is reluctant to make a menorah in Sunday School because his family already owns seven, but after a conversation with his grandmother, he figures out how to make a perfect Hanukkah gift.

It's Hanukkah, and Max and Rachel are excited to light the menorah in their family's new apartment. But, unfortunately, their Hanukkah box is missing. Luckily, their neighbors happily help, offering thoughtful, often humorous, stand-ins each night. Then, just as Hanukkah is nearly done, Max and Rachel, inspired by the shamash ("helper") candle, have a brilliant idea: to celebrate the Ninth Night of Hanukkah as a thank you to everyone!

From snow on the ground to making applesauce and latkes to lighting the menorah, this sweet, lyrical story shows the seasonal and traditional ways we know Hanukkah is on its way.

As summer ends and fall settles in, a family prepares to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. It's time to pick apples, make cards, light the candles, and eat brisket to ring in the new year!