"Maccabee Meals: Food and Fun for Hanukkah (Kar-Ben) by Judye Groner and Madeline Wikler and illustrated by Ursula Roma has also been reissued, and it is full of fun facts and simple recipes children will enjoy. Here's one for starters: 'The first day of Hanukkah and Christmas day coincide once every 38 years. The next time it will happen will be in 2016.' Such valuable trivia, along with delightful and simple recipes, can be found in this new addition to the Chanukah bookshelf. The thin paperback cookbook also includes such information as the candle-lighting blessings in English and Hebrew, dreidel trivia, table crafts and decoration ideas. This is another clever do-over of an old favorite from 20 years ago written by the same authors. Of course, you will find simple recipes for cookies, latkes and sufganiyot, but have your kids ever considered spooning shredded potatoes into a heated waffle iron, baking them for brunch and topping them with yogurt? Certainly preschoolers would happily busy themselves preparing a menorah sandwich -- cream cheese or peanut butter on bread, eight pretzel-stick candles, one carrot-stick shamash and nine raisins as flames. Plus, who needs those store-bought chocolate coins when you have a recipe to make your own gelt and have more fun? So if you're noticing your young chefs are watching too many Food Network shows, maybe you'll find a plate of chicken latkes, hero sandwiches or hot dog mini-kabobs at your next Chanukah celebration by leaving the preparations to them.

" --Jewish Journal of Los Angeles.