Review: The Book of Candles

The Book of Candles: Eight Poems for Hanukkah

by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Leanne Hatch

Clarion Books (imprint of HarperCollins), 2025

Category: Picture Books

Reviewer: Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili

 

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The Book of Candles: Eight Poems for Hanukkah is exactly as its title suggests, and also so much more. A collection of eight free verse poems, one for each night of Hanukkah, each poem centers around the candles themselves and is followed by a thought for that particular night. These thoughts pack in a lot of interesting and useful information that may be new for some readers. For example, the thought for the fourth night explains that the Hanukkah candles are lit on Friday night before the Shabbat candles are lit. The thought for the sixth night describes the placing of the candles from right to left in the hanukkiah and lighting them from left to right (although the illustrations for that night and the last night may be interpreted as depicting the opposite).

The digitally created illustrations using hand-painted textures complement the joyful poetry beautifully and evoke the warmth that the family feels when celebrating the holiday. They also contain many details that children will enjoy discussing, from the father blow-drying the hanukkiah in the kitchen to melt the wax, to the mother using an old-fashioned box grater to prepare the latkes.

Although none of the poems' accompanying thoughts detail the actual miracle behind the lighting of the candles, a letter to the reader from the author explaining why the candles are personally important to her, rounds out this lovely poetic addition to the Hanukkah bookshelf. 

 

Editor's Note: This book was named to the Fall 2025 Holiday Highlights list by the Association of Jewish Libraries.   

 

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Reviewer Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili is the author of THE SHOPPING ADVENTURE, a Jewish Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style book. Born and raised in Toronto, she is the librarian at an all-boys elementary school.