Review: Hanukkah 1-2-3!

Hanukkah 1-2-3!: A First Counting Book

by Joy Nelkin Wieder, illustrated by Aura Lewis

Abrams Appleseed (imprint of Abrams), 2025

Category: Board Book

Reviewer: Ann Koffsky

 

Buy at Bookshop.org

In Hanukkah 1-2-3!: A First Counting Book, Joy Weider has done a beautiful job distilling Hanukkah down to its core, which is just what needs to be done for a board book reader. Each page has one line of text about an element of the holiday, counting our way up page by page—6 dreidels, 7 donuts, until we reach 9 beautifully lit menorahs and 10 singers for the last page. Remarkably, Weider has also managed in this sparse text to make it follow a simple rhyme structure, which makes it a lovely read-aloud, too.

Lewis’s bold and deceptively simple illustrations accompany the text beautifully, and show multi-hued children and grown-ups celebrating the holiday.

The Jewish representation in this book is completely authentic and accurate including the Hebrew lettering on the dreidels and the style of the menorahs, which are all halachically kosher. Some of the women are wearing pants, and some of the men and boys are wearing kippot.

 

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Reviewer Ann Diament Koffsky is the author, and sometimes illustrator of more than 50+ Jewish books for kids, including PING PONG SHABBAT (Little Bee) the KAYLA AND KUGEL series (Apples and Honey Press) and The FAIRY GODBUBBIE (Intergalactic Afikoman). She also creates free, Jewish coloring pages for kids which you can sign up to receive at www.annkoffsky.com.