IN THE MONTH OF KISLEV

Mendel the peddler and his hard-working wife are so poor they can't buy a single potato for Hanukkah but, miraculously, their daughters fall asleep contented each night after smelling the delicious aroma of latkes emanating from the home of Feivel the merchant. Feivel is outraged: they must pay for ``taking the smell of my food right out from under my nose!'' The wise rabbi decrees an appropriate fine: putting the village's Hanukkah gelt in a bag, he shakes it—``We have paid for the smell...with the sound.'' Feivel reforms; the two families reconcile. August makes an outstanding debut with ``woodcuts painted in full-color oils on paper'': the woodcuts' bold black is softened with clouds of gentle color—wintry blues enlivened with soft reds and golds; the carefully structured art nicely captures the eastern European flavor of a story passed down in Jaffe's family. A winning tale, unusually well told and presented. (Folklore/Picture book. 4-8)