6 Hanukkah Books for Younger Readers

Listed below are 6 books for younger readers, from toddlers to teenagers, concerning the 8-day competition.

 

Gehl, Laura. The Hanukkah Hunt. illus. by Olga Ivanov & Aleksey Ivanov. 32p. Albert Whitman. Aug. 2022. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780807571750.
PreS-Gr 2–This partaking multicultural Hanukkah story will work greatest for households already aware of the vacation. Ruby’s cousin Avital is gloomy as a result of her mother will likely be on a enterprise journey throughout Hanukkah. To cheer her up, Ruby creates a treasure hunt. Every evening, she offers Avital a clue, main her to a distinct member of the family’s home and a brand new present. When Avital’s dad nixes a kitten as the ultimate present, Ruby is caught—till she discovers that Avital’s mother will return the final evening, and that turns into the ultimate present. Avital’s household in the end offers Ruby the kitten as a substitute. Gehl does a pleasant job of seeding the story with acquainted Hanukkah traditions and meals, with out distracting from the plot. The illustrations, that are brightly coloured, seem like digital and have a greeting card really feel. They alternate between full-bleed single pages and spreads, with close-ups and spot artwork. The household contains good illustration: Avital is combined race, with a dark-skinned dad and a redheaded mother, and one other cousin mentions his “mothers.” Oddly, Ruby solely has one dad or mum talked about, although the penultimate unfold reveals an unidentified grownup of indeterminate gender. Again matter contains details about the historical past and traditions of Hanukkah, in addition to instructions for taking part in with the dreidel. Whereas this gained’t work as a Hanukkah primer for the uninitiated, Jewish youngsters will benefit from the embedded traditions, and the plot of the story is partaking. VERDICT A pleasing extra buy for libraries needing extra common Hanukkah books.–Amy Lilien-Harper

 Reynolds, Hannah. Eight Nights of Flirting. 400p. Razorbill. Oct. 2022. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9780593349755.
Gr 7 Up–On this lush and comfortable vacation romance, Reynolds (The Summer season of Misplaced Letters) brings readers to Nantucket and the raucous and loving Barnabel household. Shira Barnabel is wanting ahead to spending Hanukkah along with her prolonged household in her grandparents’ sprawling ­Nantucket dwelling, however then a snowstorm leaves her entire household stranded on the mainland. As a substitute of a home stuffed with cousins, Shira finds herself lighting the primary candle with sworn enemy Tyler Nelson, the boy chargeable for her first and solely damaged coronary heart. Shira decides to show the scenario to her benefit and talks the charming Tyler into giving her classes in flirting, within the hopes of attracting a brand new intern in her household enterprise. Reynolds takes readers by way of the paces of Hanukkah, Christmas, and common winter traditions of a rich Nantucket social circle—all excellent set items for Tyler to manage classes in seduction. A thriller involving Shira’s household and an outdated Nantucket whaling ship brings the 2 into one another’s orbit increasingly more typically, and the road between flirting classes and precise flirting turns into blurred. Reynolds’s narration is wise, heat, and stuffed with loads of well-earned swoony moments. The evolution of Shira and Tyler’s relationship, in addition to a subplot about Shira’s grandparents, thoughtfully discover the methods harm emotions can have an effect on perceptions of and openness to like and affection over time. A companion to the creator’s debut novel, this may be learn as a stand-alone. VERDICT Completely pleasant.–Beth McIntyre

Romero, Melanie. J Is for Janucá. illus. by Cassie Gonzales. 32p. Lil’ Libros. Sept. 2022. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781948066426. BL
PreS-Gr 1 –A much-needed, bilingual primer on Hanukkah/Janucá. Every letter primarily represents a featured merchandise that begins with that letter in English and ­Spanish. Within the instances the place the English and Spanish phrases don’t begin with the identical letter, the Spanish model takes priority. For instance, in “C is for Celebración/Celebration,” the ­letter stands for the phrase in each languages. Nevertheless, in “E is for Estrella de David/Star of David,” the letter takes its cue from the Spanish. There are occasions when the connection between the thing and its assigned ­letter is a little bit of a stretch, resembling “Ñ is for año” and “RR is for Tierra.” On the finish, “W is for Knowledge,” disrupts the already established sample, however these missteps gained’t deter younger readers. Generally identified holiday-related Yiddish phrases, like gimel and kugle, are current, however so is Sufganiyot, a time period that some non-Jewish readers will likely be encountering for the primary time. The colourful, design-heavy artwork by debut image e-book illustrator Gonzales is shiny and welcoming. The cheerful pinks, oranges, and teals not often related to Hanukkah books make this primer stand out among the many common fare. The identical households are featured all through. Two {couples} with one little one every put together the feast, gentle the candles, obtain items, and play dreidel. They’ve darkish hair and tan pores and skin, hinting at their doable Latinx-Jewish id, not typically represented in youngsters’s books. Typically the examples are repetitive; items and meals are talked about many instances, however the supposed viewers gained’t thoughts. A simple account of the origins of the vacation appends the principle textual content, giving readers a full image of the historic (and miraculous) occasion. VERDICT This charming abecedarian on the Competition of Lights fills a spot in Spanish/English bilingual collections.– Shelley M. Diaz

Rubinstein, Elana. A Donut in Time: A Hanukkah Story. 136p. (Saralee Siegel: Bk. 3). Apples & Honey. Oct. 2022. Tr $16.95. ISBN 9781681155883.
Gr 2-4 –On this third e-book within the “Saralee Siegel” sequence, Saralee discovers a brand new side to her superpowered nostril. It’s Hanukkah on the Siegel Home Restaurant, and Saralee is shocked to be taught that she just isn’t the one one in her household with a super-nose. Her great-grandmother Gigi, the fierce and unbiased lady who began the household restaurant, additionally had a super-nose. When Saralee recreates Gigi’s donut recipe, the smells lead her by way of a portal and face-to-face with a younger Gigi. To Saralee’s shock, Gigi is embarrassed by her super-nose and isn’t the assured and powerful lady Saralee was anticipating. She tries to assist Gigi turn out to be the profitable restaurant proprietor she was meant to be earlier than Saralee’s entire world is modified. The pacing and the textual content of the story are excellent for readers who’re new to chapter books. Jewish tradition and the celebration of Hanukkah are woven seamlessly into the story. The black-and-white illustrations which might be peppered all through improve the story. The textual content doesn’t outline most of the bodily traits of the characters; throughout the illustrations all however one minor character are depicted as white. ­VERDICT A candy story celebrating Jewish tradition and sprinkled with just a little little bit of magic.–V. Lynn Christiansen

Steinberg, D.J. Hanukkah, Here I Come! illus. by Sara Palacios. 32p. (Right here I Come!). Grosset & Dunlap. Oct. 2022. pap. $5.99. ISBN 9780593094266.
PreS-Gr 2 –This new title within the “Right here I Come” sequence presents the Jewish vacation of Hanukkah. Like the opposite books within the sequence, this one is comprised of brief poems, every with its personal title and specializing in a distinct matter concerning the vacation. The rhymes come simply and are hardly ever pressured, although at instances the poems are break up awkwardly between pages. Steinberg presents most of the primary components of the vacation, balancing info for these much less acquainted, resembling the foundations of taking part in dreidel, with humorous commentary from a baby’s perspective, like a warning about messy jelly donuts. Snapshots of household life, resembling taking disastrous selfies, are combined in with occasional pointless filler, e.g., on wrapping a gift for a rabbit. The background of the vacation is over-simplified—“Macca-BAM! Macca-BOOM! The dangerous guys ran away!”—and will have been omitted altogether, as the vacation itself is extra cultural celebration than historic remembrance for a lot of Jewish households. The recognizably pleasant type of Palacios (“Marisol McDonald” sequence, A Track of Frutas) is barely muted by a seeming try to slot in with the nondescript type of different illustrations within the sequence. Nonetheless, ­Palacios presents joyful scenes of many numerous households having fun with numerous components of the vacation. VERDICT A paperback with stickers included, this e-book is probably going designed to be given as a present or a part of a house assortment. Nonetheless, it could make a stable addition to vacation collections looking for to construct up their Hanukkah part.–Clara Hendricks

 Stiefel, Chana and Larry Stiefel. Mendel’s Hanukkah Mess Up. illus by Daphna Awadish. 32p. Kalaniot. Oct. 2022. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781735087573.
Okay-Gr 3–It’s nearing Hanukkah, Mendel’s favourite Jewish vacation. However Mendel doesn’t have an awesome historical past with celebrating Hanukkah. There’s all the time one thing that he messes up, like utilizing a sparkler to gentle the menorah or making the latkes with a couple of too many onions. This yr the rabbi has requested Mendel to drive the Mitzvah Cell, unfold the phrase concerning the celebration, and share the which means behind the vacation. Mendel is nervous. All of it goes nicely till the menorah on prime of the Mitzvah Cell hits the overpass. This brings information vans to the place Mendel is ready together with his ruined truck. Quite than make one other mistake, Mendel makes use of this chance to share the which means of Hanukkah with all of the viewers. Arriving on the vacation celebration, Mendel is braced for the worst; however Rabbi Klein just isn’t mad in any respect. He exclaims “You have to be proud! We noticed you on the information! You instructed the entire world the story of Hanukkah. And that’s what this vacation is all about—sharing the miracles!” It is a distinctive Hanukkah story; the textual content is strongly written with an id of its personal. It has a transparent standpoint, and readers can simply empathize with Mendel. The writing is paired with enjoyable and childlike artwork, carried out with markers, that actually helps inform the story and makes readers really feel Mendel’s each emotion. Strong again matter contains details about Hanukkah, songs, a recipe, and extra. VERDICT This enjoyable, distinctive Hanukkah story is one which stands out. A must-purchase for vacation collections.–Sarah West