#tbt: The Tie Man's Miracle: a Chanukah Tale by Stephen Schnur

Image: Artist's Website

Happy Thursday! Today is the first day of my break and I am so excited. #tbt features one of my favorite books to read around Hanukkah. I should've posted it earlier this month, but I already had #tbt posts scheduled. I also hadn't realized that this year marks its twenty-fifth anniversary!

In The Tie Man's Miracle: a Chanukah Tale by Stephen Schnur and illustrated by Stephen T. Johnson, seven-year-old Seth is waiting impatiently for his father's return from work on the last night of Hanukkah. He spies Mr. Hoffman approaching the house with his battered box of ties. This was sometime after World War II, when it was common for salesmen to walk from door-to-door trying to make a living. Seth's mother asks Seth to let the man in, but he is impatient for Mr. Hoffman to leave so the family can light the menorah. Once his father gets home, Seth's parents invite the man to stay.

Seth wonders why Mr. Hoffman isn't home with his family and learns that they were "lost" during the war. He doesn't know how a man could lose a family and presses for more information, which his father relates as gently as possible. Mr. Hoffman, feeling sorry that he has saddened the family, tells a story from his village about a miracle that is possible on the last night of Hanukkah - if you watch the candles burn down on the last night, and they all go out together, your most fervent wish will be carried to the ear of God.

I have read this book aloud countless times - to my own children as well as twenty-three years worth of students, and I still can't get through it without crying. The combination of Mr. Hoffman's tragedy, Seth's loss of innocence and his big heart, and the somber watercolor artwork make this book emotionally resonant.

This book has gone out of print, unfortunately. It is available in only five libraries in my library cooperative. My own batterd first edition hardcover copy went missing a few years ago. It made me so sad, that my husband tried to buy me a new one. Because it had gone out of print, he had to buy a used library copy. I treasure this gift and this memory of his ongoing thoughtfulness. I also mourn the fact that many books go out of print and disappear. Treasure your books!