The Only One Club

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Summary: This book will make every child feel like they are special
Review: In The Only One Club, Jennifer Jacobs feels left out and different from every other kid at school. She is Jewish and her class is making decorations for Christmas. But, since Jennifer doesn't celebrate Christmas, her teacher lets her make something for Hanukkah. When she goes home from school, she decides to form a club for herself because she is the 'only one'. Now the other kids feel left out too - until they all figure out what is unique and special about each one of them. What a wonderful way to show children how truly special and one of a kind they are! I plan to use this book with my elementary school students who need a boost with their self-esteem!

Rating:
Summary: everyone's special!
Review: Rebeccasreads highly recommends THE ONLY ONE CLUB about how a little Jewish girl, her teacher & a classroom of Christian children prepare for Christmas.

Delightfully illustrated by Jeff Hopkins, THE ONLY ONE CLUB (for ages 4-8) is a thoughtful look at how alike we all really are, even when we are so different!

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Summary: The Only One Club Puts It All Into Perspective
Review: The Only One Club Puts It All Into Perspective

"The Only One Club" is a delightfully refreshing take on individuality in the American classroom. Without being overly politically correct, author JAne Naliboff offers her readers a realistic context to discuss diversity without the typical exclusion that takes place when differences are a part of the equation. Naliboff underscores each of our unique qualities without preference for one over the other.

The main character, Jennifer, is the only Jewish child in her class. She emphasizes her uniqueness by founding her own club, "The Only One Club." As the other classmates aren't allowed to join, Jennifer notices how inclusion, not exclusion, is the true solution to her dilemma of wishing to be separate, but equal. She seeks each classmate's individual attribute and offers a membership to each one of them for being the "only one" to possess a certain quality.

"The Only One Club" is a celebration of difference within a group setting. In the end, each person is allowed to celebrate his unique qualities -- together with everyone else. I strongly recommend this book for its readability and its high quality treatment of a difficult subject.

"The Only One Club" is a delightfully refreshing take on individuality in the American classroom. Without being overly politically correct, author JAne Naliboff offers her readers a realistic context to discuss diversity without the typical exclusion that takes place when differences are a part of the equation. Naliboff underscores each of our unique qualities without preference for one over the other.

The main character, Jennifer, is the only Jewish child in her class. She emphasizes her uniqueness by founding her own club, "The Only One Club." As the other classmates aren't allowed to join, Jennifer notices how inclusion, not exclusion, is the true solution to her dilemma of wishing to be separate, but equal. She seeks each classmate's individual attribute and offers a membership to each one of them for being the "only one" to possess a certain quality.

"The Only One Club" is a celebration of difference within a group setting. In the end, each person is allowed to celebrate his unique qualities -- together with everyone else. I strongly recommend this book for its readability and its high quality treatment of a difficult subject.

Christine Louise Hohlbaum, American expat author of Diary of a Mother( 2003) and SAHM I Am (forthcoming), currently resides with her family near Munich, Germany. http://www.diaryofamother.com

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Summary: Readers: You're invited to join a remarkable club!
Review: There are many beloved holiday-themed books in print. Most are read around the time of the holiday they're about. Jane Naliboff's THE ONLY ONE CLUB is a rare gem: it's a holiday book (Hanukah, Christmas) that can be enjoyed and appreciated any time of the year. Young readers will learn, along with the book's heroine, first-grader Jennifer Jacobs, that everyone is "the only one" of something, and that our differences can unite our spirits as much as our similarities.

THE ONLY ONE CLUB is vibrantly illustrated by illustrator Jeff Hopkins. The expressive faces of Jennifer and her friends draw my six-year-old into the story every time she reads it, and make her feel a part of their class - a member of Jennifer's THE ONLY ONE CLUB.

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Summary: Cute New Children's Book That Teaches A Lesson
Review: When six-year-old Jennifer Jacobs' first grade class begins working on Christmas decorations, she quickly informs her teacher that she doesn't celebrate Christmas, but rather Hanukkah, for she is Jewish. Soon, Jennifer realizes that she is the only Jewish child in her class, and decides to make The Only One Club, in which she is the only member. However, as word gets around about her club, Jennifer begins realizing that there are many other children in her class, and in the school, who are the only one of something, and quickly makes badges for everyone in her class, informing them that they too can be a member of The Only One Club.

While I am not Jewish myself, I find that there are so few books on the market for Jewish children around the holidays. So I was quite awed by the arrival of Jane Naliboff's THE ONLY ONE CLUB. The prose is wonderful, and teaches children that everyone is unique, whether it's the color of their hair, or eyes, or their religion, or beliefs, while the illustrations by Jeff Hopkins couldn't be cuter. This is a lovely children's book to pick up this holiday season, whether you're Jewish or not.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper