Happy Hanukkah! We're celebrating the festival of lights with lots of latkes, family, and special books! Here's what we're sharing with our young readers this holiday season:
Clifford Celebrates Hanukkah by Norman Bridwell
Clifford and Emily Elizabeth are celebrating their first Hanukkah. They love hearing the story of Hanukkah, eating "latkes" (fried potato pancakes) and "sufganiyot" (fried jelly donuts), and playing dreidel.
After dinner, Clifford and Emily Elizabeth take a trip into town to see the giant menorah. But when they get there, they discover that one light is broken. It's too late in the evening to call a handyman, but maybe Clifford is big enough to help save Hanukkah!
How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mark Teague
From the warm glow of holiday candles in the menorah to the fun of family gatherings, little dinosaurs love to celebrate the Festival of Lights. But sometimes the excitement of Chanukah, its treasured rituals, and the tradition of gifts can tempt a youngster to misbehave. . . .
Come along on a joyful romp filled with tumbling dreidels and melting gelt as America's favorite prehistoric pals spread a little mischief this season. Children will laugh out loud as dinosaurs fidget, fuss, and stomp through every occasion, while their human parents shift from shock to weary patience.
Filled with warmth and cheer, this new book by the bestselling team of Jane Yolen and Mark Teague makes a perfect gift to be read again and again, year after year. How do dinosaurs say Happy Chanukah? The same way they say Merry Christmas: With an abundance of love, joy, memory, and gratitude.
Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel! illustrated by Shahar Kober
Introduce your child to an exciting Hanukkah tradition with this shaped board book made to look just like a dreidel. Using the classic song “I Have a Little Dreidel,” follow along as the different animal families light the menorah, fry the latkes, and of course, spin the dreidel. A sweet board book to celebrate the holiday.
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Dreidel by Caryn Yacowitz, illustrated by David Slonim
A family drives through the snow to visit their beloved bubbe, who spreads out a Chanukah supper for everyone to enjoy. But one dish goes a little wrong:
“I know an old lady who swallowed a dreidel
A Chanukah dreidel she thought was a bagel...
Perhaps it's fatal.”
Indeed, Bubbe’s first bite leads to an insatiable taste for oil, latkes, applesauce, gelt—even menorahs. But as the family tries to distract her from her gluttony, the items she devours grow ever larger. Will they be able to reconnect with her and bring her home for the last night of Chanukah—or will her feasting in fact be fatal? Beyond the joy of a Jewish take on this most American of folk songs, the illustrations here offer hilarious parodies of great works of art by da Vinci, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hopper, Rockwell, Matisse, Picasso, and other masters—adding a whole new layer of humor and culture to the familiar tune. You'll love this old lady, and want to visit her every Chanukah for years to come.
