MadLuck Books Blog

A Children's Books Blog - information on award winning children's books, personalized books, reading tips, and book reviews.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

The Magic Dreidel Personalized Book


Product Spotlight

Title: The Magic Dreidel Personalized Book
Manufacturer: Create-A-Book (Hefty Publishing, Inc.)
Author: Dan Sussman
Illustrator: James W. Dixon
Created by: Nancie E. Sgambati
Seller: Personalized Books by MadLuck Books
Description: Mac, the magic dreidel, re-creates the miracle of Hanukkah and teaches your child the meaning of this Holiday.

Here's the whole story with samples of the illustrations (Personalized information is in red here, but not in the ordered books):

Pages 1 & 2 - Illustration Pages

Page 3
The Magic Dreidel
was created especially for
Michael Jeremy Smith
at the age of 8
with love from
Mom and Dad
December 16, 2006

Page 4
Throughout Warrenton, children gazed out of their windows on the crisp winter day and watched the sun set. They anxiously awaited the disappearance of the last little bit of light, for that would mark the start of a very special holiday -- the eight-day festival of Hanukkah. Michael Jeremy Smith was so excited. Larry, Wayne and Bob would be there to help light the menorah and open the Hanukkah gifts.

Pages 5&6 - Illustration Pages

Page 7
Since the guests had not arrived yet, Mike practiced with the dreidel, a four-sided top used in a special Hanukkah game. Round and round the dreidel spun, and each time it landed with a different one of its Hebrew letters -- nun, gimel, hay, and shin -- showing.

Page 8
"Ouch!" shouted the dreidel. "I landed hard that time. Mike, do you think we could take a little break? I'm getting kind of dizzy, and I don't want to be pooped out when everyone gets here."

Pages 9 & 10 - Illustration Pages

Page 11
Mike could hardly believe his ears! "Wait a minute! Whoever heard of a talking dreidel?" asked Mike. "Well, most dreidels can't talk, but I'm very special," the top said, with a little chuckle. "I'm Mac, the magic dreidel, and I'm not just a toy. I'm here for a very special reason. Let me ask you a question. What do you like best about Hanukkah?" Mike had to think for only a second.

Page 12
"Well, Mac, I like lighting the candles on the menorah each night and eating all of that good Hanukkah food. However, I think that I like the gifts the very best," answered Mike. "Those are a very important part of the holiday," said Mac, "but that's not enough, Mike. I've come here to teach you the meaning of Hanukkah."

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Pages 13 & 14 - Illustration Pages

Page 15
With that, the dreidel suddenly jumped up and began to spin faster and faster. As he whirled, twirled, and laughed merrily, the room was bathed in a soft, blue light. Mike was fascinated, for suddenly, pictures like a movie or television show appeared and hung in mid-air.

Page 16
"Whew! Quite a workout," said Mac, who had stopped spinning. "Now, Mike Smith, we're going to talk about how Hanukkah began and why we celebrate it today. Then, I want you to share the story later with Larry, Wayne and Bob." Mike gazed intently at the scene before him as Mac began his tale.

Pages 17 & 18 - Illustration Pages

Page 19
"Mike, two thousand years ago, in the land we know as Israel, wicked King Antiochus ruled. He did not like the way that the Jewish people worshipped only one God, for he worshipped many. The Jews were proud and refused to bend to the king's will. So the king robbed and damaged the beautiful temple in Jerusalem and killed many of the Jews."

Page 20
"One day, Mike, the king's men insisted that an old man named Mattathias worship a statue of a Greek god. Mattathias became angry and refused. Then he, his five sons, and their followers ran into the hills and formed an army. Mattathias's family became known as the Maccabees, a word which means 'hammer.' When Mattathias died, his son, Judah Maccabee became the leader of the band of the Jews."

Pages 21 & 22 - Illustration Pages

Page 23
Mike listened and watched as the scene before his eyes shifted to the hills of Judea. "They were a small band, but the Maccabees and their followers believed strongly in their cause and knew the hills of Judea well. Because of this, they were able to defeat the armies of the wicked king. Antiochus was driven out of Judea, and Judah Maccabee led his followers out of the hills."

Page 24
"But all was not well. The Jews had to repair the temple in Jerusalem. Alas, Mike, there was only enough oil to keep the sacred eternal light burning for one day. Then, the miracle of Hanukkah occurred. That little bit of oil kept the light burning not for one day, but for eight."

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Pages 25 & 26 - Illustration Pages

Page 27
"Mike, this is the reason that we celebrate Hanukkah for eight days. We light a candle each night to celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah. It's a story that you should think about when you, along with Larry, Wayne and Bob, are eating potato latkes tonight, opening gifts, and spinning me in circles."

Page 28
The pictures that had danced before Mike slowly began to fade. Soon, all in the living room was just as it had been before. Mike looked down at the floor, and there lay Mac. Only now, he wasn't talking. In fact, he looked just like an ordinary dreidel. "Wow!" thought Mike. "Did that really happen? Was it just a dream? Was this really a magic dreidel?"

Pages 29 & 30 - Illustration Pages

Page 31
Of course it was! For Mac had given Mike the best holiday gift of all: a lesson about the true meaning of Hanukkah. Mike Smith would always remember this. He would be sure to share the story with Larry, Wayne and Bob.

Page 32
Mike, here are some Hanukkah words you should remember. The Maccabees (MAH-cuh-bees)were the brave band of Jews who fought the wicked king's armies from the hills of Judea. Their first leader was Mattathias, and later they were led by his son, Judah Maccabee. Antiochus (an-tee-AH-kus)was the wicked king who robbed and pillaged the temple and made life miserable for the Jews. The menorah (meh-NOHR-uh)is the eight-stemmed candelabra that holds the Hanukkah candles. We light a candle each night to commemorate the miracle of Hanukkah. The dreidel (DRAY-duhl)is the four-sided top used in traditional Hanukkah games.

Pages 33 & 34 - Illustration Pages

Page 35
Mike, you can have fun playing the dreidel game at Hanukkah. You need a dreidel and some raisins equally divided among the players. Each person takes five raisins from his or her pile and puts them into the main pile in the center. Then, each person takes a turn spinning the dreidel. When it stops spinning and the letter "nun" is facing up, the player does nothing. "Hay" means that the player gets half of the main pile. "Shin" means that you must put half of your raisins into the main pile. For "gimel," a player takes all of the raisins in the main pile. The Hebrew letters on the dreidel stand for "Nes gadol hayah sham," which means "A great miracle happened there" -- a fitting message for Hanukkah.

Page 36
Mike Smith
In THE MAGIC DREIDEL, did you learn these new vocabulary words?

_______________ayh
_______________nhis
_______________legim
_______________unn
_______________eriddle
_______________akahnukh
_______________hamenor


Order Magic Dreidel Personalized Book
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Monday, November 27, 2006

Old Turtle Smiled

Quote of the week:

And after a long, lonesome and scary time...
...the people listened, and began to hear...
And to see God in one another...
...and in the beauty of all the Earth.
And Old Turtle smiled.


- Douglas Wood, Old Turtle


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Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Old Turtle Book Review

Book Review

Title: Old Turtle
Author: Douglas Wood
Illustrator: Cheng-Khee Chee

Old Turtle won the ABBY Book of the Year Children's Book Award in 1993. This beautiful picture book is written in the style of an American Indian Creation Myth. The story begins in the long ago when all the animals, rocks, wind, stars, rivers, oceans, mountains, etc. in the world could speak and understand one another. The beings of the world begin to argue about God, each describing God as a reflection of themselves. When the argument has gone on for a long time, and grown louder and louder and louder, Old Turtle finally speaks. Old Turtle, tells the beings that they are all correct, because God is all these things they describe - God is deep, she tells the fishes in the sea, and much higher than high she tells the mountain, swift and free as the wind, in a word, God Is.

Then people come to the world; people, who in turtle's words are a "message of love from God to the earth." But when people forget this and begin to fight and kill each other and do things to that hurt the earth, it becomes up to the all the beings of the earth to remind people of the lesson that they had learned long ago from Old Turtle. The book ends on a note of hope with the people listening to the Earth, and beginning to "see God in one another and in the beauty of all the Earth."

Cheng-Khee Chee's beautiful watercolors perfectly complement the text. Highly Recommended.

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Monday, November 20, 2006

"Sadness," said Willie May

Quote of the week:


"Sadness," said Willie May, closing her eyes and nodding her head. "You keeping all that sadness down low, in your legs. You not letting it get up to your heart, where it belongs. You got to let that sadness rise on up."

- Kate DiCamillo, The Tiger Rising

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Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Again I says, HONGRY!

Quote of the week:

"Again I says, HONGRY! And I don't mean lunchtime snacktime littletime hongry, I mean grumpy grouchy bedtime bigtime hongry. I live big, I sleep big. And when I hit the hay tonight I got six months before breakfast so I need a supper the size of my sleep. I need a big bellyfull of fuel and lay-by of fat to fire my full-time furnace and stoke my six-months snore a-rooAAHRRRR!"

- Ken Kesey, Little Tricker The Squirrel Meets Big Double The Bear

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Tuesday, November 07, 2006

American Booksellers Book of the Year (ABBY) Award 1991-1999


The American Booksellers Book of the Year (ABBY) Award was established in 1991. Books were chosen by American Booksellers Association bookstore members, based on the books they "most enjoyed recommending to their customers during the previous year." The children's award was added in 1993.

In 2000, the American Booksellers Association renamed the ABBY the Book Sense Book of the Year Award.

Children's ABBY Award winners:

1999 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling, illus. by Mary Grandpré


1998 The Hat, Jan Brett


1997 Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Kevin Henkes

1996 Guess How Much I Love You, Sam McBratney, illus. by Anita Jeram



1995 The Rainbow Fish, Marcus Pfister



1994 Stellaluna, Janell Cannon



1993 Old Turtle, Douglas Wood, illus. by Cheng-Khee Chee



1992 Brother Eagle, Sister Sky: A Message from Chief Seattle, Susan Jeffers, illus.



1991 The Education of Little Tree, Forrest Carter


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Monday, November 06, 2006

Reader, you must know...

Quote of the week:

Reader, you must know that an iteresting fate (sometimes involving rats, sometimes not) awaits almost everyone, mouse or man, who does not conform.

- Kate diCamillo, The Tale of Despereaux

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Friday, November 03, 2006

Personalized Books Product Spotlights


Here is an alphabetical list of all the Personalized Book Product Spotlights available on this site. Note that all book are available for purchase from Personalized Books by MadLuck Books:

The Magic Dreidel Personalized Book
Mother Goose Personalized Book
Mother's Day Personalized Book
Mother's Day Persoanlized Book - from Adult child
My Birthday Surprise Personalized Book
My Camping Adventure Personalized Book
My Christmas Wish Personalized Book
My Dinosaur Adventure Personalized Book
My Farm Adventure Personalized Book
My Tea Party Personalized Book
Santa's Story Personalized Book
Sibling Book Personalized Book
Silver Swan Personalized Book
Soccer Star Personalized Book
The Story of Christmas Personalized Book

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The Story of Christmas Personalized Book

Product Spotlight

Title: The Story of Christmas Personalized Book
Manufacturer: Create-A-Book
Author: Larry Hart, Ph.D.
Illustrator: Betsy Walker
Seller: Personalized Books by MadLuck Books
Description: Your child learns about the birth of Baby Jesus in this first Christmas Story.

Here's the whole story with samples of the illustrations (Personalized information is in red here, but not in the ordered books):

Pages 1 & 2 - Illustration pages
Page 3
The Story of Christmas

was created especially for

Jessica Ann Smith
at the age of 6


With love from
Mommy and Daddy
December 25, 2006

Page 4
Christmas is a wonderful time of year, isn't it, Jessica? It is a time of giving! Will you be giving gifts to Amy this Christmas? Maybe you will even leave Warrenton this Christmas to visit family or friends in another town!
Jessica, do you know why we give gifts at Christmas? It is because God gave us His very best gift. The Bible says that God loved us so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus. When we put our trust in Jesus as our Savior, the Bible says God gives us the gift of eternal life. That is the best Christmas gift of all!

Pages 5 & 6 - Illustration pages

Page 7
Jessica, the story of Christmas is really the story of the birth of Jesus, and what a wonderful story it is!
We see angels, shepherds, and wise men! We see Mary and Joseph, and most important of all, Baby Jesus in the manger! This is what we should think about, Jessica, when we hear the word Christmas.
It all began when one of God's mighty angels, named Gabriel, visited a young woman in a town called Nazareth. The young woman's name was Mary.

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Page 8
God sent His angel Gabriel to Mary with a very important message, Jessica. Gabriel told Mary that she was going to have a baby! Confused by this message, Mary asked how this could happen since she wasn't married yet. Gabriel said:
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God (Luke 1:35)."
Mary was amazed, but said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). Then the angel left.

Pages 9 & 10 - Illustration pages

Page 11
Jessica, how would you feel if you had a visit from Gabriel as Mary did? What if God sent an angel to Warrenton to give you a message?
God wasn't through using His angels though. Now Joseph, the man Mary was going to marry, had to be told. Joseph had found out that Mary was going to have a baby. He planned to break their engagement secretly.
Just when he had decided to do this, an angel appeared to him in a dream. The angel had an important message for Joseph!

Page 12
Jessica, the angel of the Lord told Joseph:
"Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for He will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:20b,21).
Mary's baby was to be named Jesus, which means "the Lord saves." God sent Jesus to save us! Jessica, God sent Jesus to save you!

Pages 13 & 14 - Illustration pages

Page 15
Joseph and Mary are good examples for us, Jessica! They obeyed what God told them to do. They also obeyed the laws of the land.
The Emperor Augustus ordered everyone to register his or her name in the towns where he or she was born. That law meant that Joseph had to go to Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary went on this long trip together.

Page 16
Can you see them, Jessica? There is Mary riding on a donkey! She must have been so uncomfortable, since she was pregnant with Baby Jesus.
There is Joseph walking beside her. He must have felt sorry for Mary. However, they both knew, though, that God was pleased with their obedience.
Jessica, they traveled mile after mile. The roads were dusty. Their bodies ached, but they traveled on to Bethlehem.

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Pages 17 & 18 - Illustration pages

Page 19
The Bible says that all of this took place so that God's Word could be fulfilled. Hundreds of years before, Isaiah, the prophet said:
"Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel" (Matthew 1:23).
Jessica, do you know what the name Emmanuel means?
It means "God with us." Jesus is God with you, Jessica! He is God with Amy too! Jesus was God's way of showing Himself to us all!

Page 20
When they arrived, there was no place for them to stay, so they stayed in a stable where animals were kept! What a place for the Son of God to be born, Jessica!
Mary gave birth to Baby Jesus. She wrapped Him in cloths and laid Him in a manger. Jessica, a manger was a feed trough for the animals.
Think of how that stable looked and smelled! There is Baby Jesus lying in the straw and surrounded by animals, and there are Mary and Joseph.

Pages 21 & 22 - Illustration pages

Page 23
Now we know what Christmas is really all about, don't we Jessica! Christmas is about God sending His Son, Jesus, to be the Savior of the world.
Christmas is about God's coming to be with us. Because Jesus came, Jessica, we can really know what God is like. All that we have to do is look at Jesus!
Jesus, the Son of God, became a human being so that we could really know God. He came to show us God's love. He came to die on the cross for our sins.

Page 24
God must love us a lot, Jessica. Jesus wasn't born in a nice, clean place. He had animals all around Him instead of doctors and nurses.
Nobody else knew what was happening. The Son of God was coming into the world, Jessica! Only Mary, Joseph, and the animals were there when Jesus was born.
Soon, many others would know. God would send more angels to announce the birth of Jesus.

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Pages 25 & 26 - Illustration pages

Page 27
On the night that Jesus was born, some shepherds were watching their flock of sheep in the fields. Suddenly, Jessica, an angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were really afraid.
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see - I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord" (Luke 2:10, 11).
The angel also gave them a sign, Jessica.

Page 28
The angel told the shepherds that they would find Baby Jesus wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. That was the sign.
Then suddenly, Jessica, there were angels everywhere praising God. The shepherds were amazed! After the angels left, the shepherds went quickly to Bethlehem.
There were Mary and Joseph, and there was Baby Jesus wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger!

Pages 29 & 30 - Illustration pages

Page 31
The shepherds told everyone the good news. It is good to share our happiness with others, isn't it, Jessica? You could share this same happy story with Amy! Amy may already know it!
Christmas can be the happiest time of the year as we praise God and tell others about Jesus. That's what the shepherds did, Jessica.
Later on, some mysterious visitors from far away came to see Jesus. They said they had seen Jesus' star!

Page 32
These visitors, Jessica, were wise men from the East. They followed the star until it stopped above the place where Jesus was. They were filled with joy!
The Wise men went inside the house and saw Baby Jesus with his mother, Mary. They bowed down and worshipped Jesus.
Jessica, that's the most important thing for us to do at Christmas, isn't it? We ought to praise and worship God, as the angels, shepherds, and wise men did.

Pages 33 & 34 - Illustration pages

Page 35
The wise men did something else, Jessica. They opened their treasure chests. Then they gave costly gifts to Jesus.
They offered Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The wise men gave Jesus their very best. That's another reason, Jessica, that we give gifts at Christmas time.
The very best gift you could give Jesus this Christmas, Jessica, is your whole life. After all, He gave His whole life to you!

Page 36
That's the real meaning of Christmas,

Jessica Smith.


Thank you, Jesus,

Son of God and Savior,

for coming to earth!

Merry Christmas, Jessica!

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