When God gives him a lamp full of oil, he finds that his nights now come alive. But Ziz still won’t share his light will all of the other animals who are drawn by the brightness near his nest. So, the Ziz flies away with his lamp. On his travels, he stops by the temple in Jerusalem after a great victory over the Syrians over two thousand years ago. He learns that the temple priests only have enough oil for the lamps for one day. The Ziz realizes how important light is and asks God to help the priests. But God asks Ziz to offer the oil in his own lamp. For eight days, Ziz keeps the lamps burning. And this is the miracle that becomes the foundation for the celebration of Hanukkah.

Jules’s retelling of the Hanukkah story with a big yellow bird as the catalyst of the miracle of Hanukkah may seem irreverent to some readers. But, in Jule’s postscript, she says, "The story never gives any explanation for the miracle of the oil. For all we know, the Ziz might have helped." In this story, God’s hand is in the miracle, no matter if the oil miraculously renewed itself each night or the Ziz filled the lamps from the lamp that God gave him. It’s still a miracle.

Each of Jules’s Ziz stories is always funny, warm, and offers a lesson. This one is sharing and not hiding your own light. Katherine Janus Kahn’s bright illustrations bring the Ziz’s world to life and are always a delight to see.

I’m hoping that Jules and Kahn never tire of telling stories about the Ziz. I enjoy every one of them.