Hanukkah

by Miriam Nerlove, Susan Sussman

Rhyming text and illustrations follow the activities of a little boy and his parents as they prepare to celebrate Hanukkah.

Genres: Religion, Childrens

Hardcover

Published September 1, 1992

Reviews

[Amy Elizabeth Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this old school cool Hanukkah book, and I couldn't help but read it. The rhyming was fun and glossary was helpful, but the vintage style illustrations were my favorite. This book is a sweet little treasure. My only caveat is I wish that it had covered all eight nights of Hanukkah but my ignorance of the holiday may be its cause.

I teach a lot of students who celebrate Hanukkah, and I don't know a ton about Jewish holidays, customs, or rituals other than those I've researched for curriculum (like studying the Talmud, celebrating Yom Kippur, reciting the Kaddish) or stuff I've seen in media (like celebrating Shabbat, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, the struggle of faith and questioning God), and sometimes even little research about things I've seen throughout the NYC neighborhoods, like the eruv.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

A simple book that rhymes and explains Hanukkah. A good for young children, but there are more engaging books out there.

[Ashtyn Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this book was very simple and informative and would be a great way to inform Jewish kids about the meaning and reason for Hanukkah. The book gives explanation to the lighting of candles, describes cultural food that is eaten called latkes, and even mentions games that are played during Hanukkah. Songs are sung and presents are opened during the story which gives the reader an idea of what a Hanukkah is like. There are lots of pictures and not too many words with makes the book very easy and fun to read. It is positive and uplifting and puts an emphasis on family and celebration.

[Michaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book discusses the rituals of Hanukkah in a family. The book discusses how Hanukkah is celebrated, in the eyes of a little boy. Included in the book at the back, was an index of words that students may not know that are "Hanukkah terms."

I would use this book in a second grade classroom. I'm imagining that I would have a theme in my classroom for about a month, where we study different celebrations from around the world. One of the celebrations could be Hanukkah. I would read this book aloud to my second graders and at the end, we would discuss similarities and differences of some holidays that we may experience. Hopefully, there would be students who celebrate Hanukkah, and they could help us out in explaining the customs of Hanukkah even more than the book does. This would make it more personal. I would go over certain Hanukkah terms that students may not know as we approach each word and ask students to make predictions.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one had a simple explanation about Hanukkah that was appropriate for younger readers Kindergarten and up.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute rhyming picture book about why hanukkah is celebrated and some of the traditions.

[Brianna Stahly-Hale]

I really enjoyed this book because I got to see what other cultures celebrate. It also uses appropriate vocabulary for the said holiday which is nice because it is not typically taught in classrooms so it is good in order to include all students celebrations in the school setting. (assign 1)