He sits and watches over the children to see if they are behaving well. No, he is not Elf on the Shelf, he is Kippah Kantor and he’s counting down the days to Hanukkah. Frisco mom Cindy Dubner Hauk wanted to make Hanukkah a little more magical for her two kids while teaching them the Jewish concept of mitzvot — good deeds.

“I wanted it to ‘teach’ about doing good deeds in a fun and exciting way,” Hauk writes in an e-mail.

A native Dallasite and graduate of Southern Methodist University with an elementary teaching certification from UNT, Hauk, 43, taught first grade in Richardson for seven years before becoming a stay-at-home mom.

She started working on the book and doll almost two years ago. She had 70 made two weeks before last Hanukkah and they sold out in 10 days. The doll and book set sells for $29.99 at more than 40 Learning Express stores, Amazon, Jewish gift stores and online at kippahkantor.com.

“I wanted to create something magical for Hanukkah that they could enjoy. I felt that was missing from my childhood,” she says.

Mitzvah accomplished, she says.

“My kids love it. They can’t wait for the holiday time to appear. In fact, my daughter wrote him a letter during spring break. He actually wrote a letter back to her and attached a picture!!”