The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Twinkle, Twinkle, Hanukkah by Talia Benamy, illustrated by Aura Lewis Workman Kids, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Julie Ditton   Buy at Bookshop.org Twinkle, Twinkle, Hanukkah is a cute rhyming picture book that takes the reader through the Hanukkah celebration. Youngsters may know the simple preschool song “Twinkle, Twinkle Hanukkah Lights” (based on "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star") which teaches the holiday with a familiar tune and hand motions. This book takes the concept a step further. We start with “Twinkle, twinkle menorah” and read about candles and dreidels. But the book goes beyond the party and talks about some important ideas too: the history, celebrating with family near and far, and placing the menorah in the window to spread the light. The watercolor illustrations by Aura Lewis are sweet and simple, and represents a diversity of skin tones. The afterword discusses the Hanukkah story and all these activities in more detail for the adult reader. This b...

The Mouse Who Loved Latkes written and illustrated by Joy Nelkin Wieder Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Claire Freeland   Buy at Bookshop.org The Mouse Who Loved Latkes tells the story of a mouse who fears his home’s new feline residents, the Katz family. The littlest cat, Kitty, spots the mouse exploring, drawn out of his hole by delicious smells. A “cat and mouse game” ensues. But Kitty is only interested in making a friend. The mouse is torn between worry that Kitty will eat him and curiosity about the delicious doughnut crumbs, chocolate bits, and a strange item that we know is a dreidel. Finally, Kitty convinces the mouse to help make latkes. Now comfortable with Kitty and Mrs. Katz, he runs away once again when he sees Mr. Katz with a scary object but is reassured upon learning that it’s a menorah. The mouse joins the Katz family in lighting the menorah and eating latkes. The twist at the end about why the Katz ...

Happy HanukKAT by Jessica Hickman, illustrated by Elissambura Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Sarah Clarke   Buy at Bookshop.org   Happy HanukKat is a cute board book that showcases a cat family celebrating Hanukkah. The story begins with the cats getting dressed up in festive sweaters and hats. The young kittens play dreidel, while the adult cats make latkes. After lighting the menorah and reading the story of the Maccabees, delicious jelly donuts are served. The story ends with a warm wish of Happy HanukKAT at the closing of the holiday.   This story is a great read for very young children. It’s simple and to the point. The puns and jokes made, like "the Maccabees were pawsitively brave,” are simple enough that most children will understand them. For the children who don’t understand, it doesn’t take anything away from the story. The rhyming scheme of the books works well, making it a good option for a read-a...

Lost and Found Hanukkah by Joy Preble, illustrated by Lisa Anchin Chronicle Books, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Shanna Silva   Buy at Bookshop.org Lost and Found Hanukkah explores themes of loss, change, and self-determination. Nate is missing his old neighborhood and friends, especially when he discovers that his special menorah has been lost in the move. His Daddy and Abba bring him to a Judaica store to choose a new menorah, and Nate makes friends with Amy, the shopkeeper, and her cat, Kugel. None of the store menorahs catch his eye, and when Kugel escapes, Nate’s focus becomes finding the lost kitty. When he does find and lure her with a fresh latke, Nate discovers a piece of wood to fashion his own menorah. Hanukkah is celebrated and a special guest makes their new apartment feel like home. Lost and Found Hanukkah has literary merit and positive, authentic Jewish content. Anchin’s rich illustrations contain wonderful detail, and a cornucopia of Judaic imagery is ...

Horton Hears a Hanukkah Party by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Tom Brannon Random House Books for Young Readers, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Jany Finkielsztein   Buy at Bookshop.org   Horton the elephant, first seen in Dr. Seuss's Horton Hatches the Egg and Horton Hears a Who , has been brought back to life very much in character by Leslie Kimmelman, with authentically Seussian illustrations by Tom Brannon.   Horton Hears a Hanukkah Party tells the story of Horton following mysterious sounds (as in Horton Hears a Who ) that lead him to a miniature yet joyful Hanukkah celebration. Through clever rhymes, vibrant pacing, and engagingly bright illustrations, children discover Hanukkah traditions—menorahs, dreidels, and festive foods—along with themes of freedom, community, and believing in yourself.   What stands out most is the book’s deeper message. Horton is uncertain at first, but as in his earlier adventures, through patience and courage he demonstra...

Golda's Showtime Scare (Golda & Ezra series) by Hollie Michaels, illustrated by Claudio Cerri Picture Window Books (imprint of Capstone Publishing), 2025 Category: Early Chapter Book Reviewer: Katie Dawson   Buy at Bookshop.org Golda and Ezra are back, this time during the Chanukah season in Golda’s Showtime Scare . The siblings are hard at work preparing for the Chanukah play with their Tia Ilana at the community center, when the two leads playing the shamash candle and the dreidel get sick and are no longer able to participate in the play. Golda and Ezra volunteer to step in and take on the roles! But, it is not quite as easy as they anticipated. Golda and Ezra tackle their fears and practice hard for the play. Thankfully, Bubbe is also helping out, imparting lots of advice and helping to get them ready for the big day. When it is finally time to perform, Golda and Ezra take Bubbe’s advice and tell themselves what their Zeyde used to say when he was nervous for a show: ‘The...

Festival of Lights: 16 Hanukkah Stories Edited by Henry Herz Albert Whitman, 2024 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Rebecca Greer Buy at Bookshop.org The short stories in this anthology cover Hanukkah traditions, both Ashkenazi and Sephardic, along with newcomers to the holiday and the creation of new traditions. In the first story, “Ewa and the Five Sites” by R.M. Romero, Ewa Nowak finds her grandmother’s house spirit after she passes away. The spirit leads her on a journey throughout Krakow, Poland where she uncovers her Jewish roots, taking her to a Jewish Community Center for her first Hanukkah. Similarly, in “The Luck of the Irish” the discovery of distant relatives has a family find out they are part Jewish. Bridget Hodder’s “The Thing about Stars,” depicts the misadventures of eighth grader Coco Hanan and South Korean Shin Kim as they get into repeated misunderstandings. When she sees him wearing a six-sided star necklace she presumes he’s Jewish and invites him to celebrate Han...

The Day I Became A Potato Pancake by Arie Kaplan, illustrated by Beilin Xu Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House Publishers), 2024 Category: Middle Grade  Reviewer: Denise Ross Buy at Bookshop.org The Day I Became A Potato Pancake is a graphic novel combining science fiction with a Hanukkah theme, for students in grades 2-3. The story follows the adventures of two best friends, Naomi Hirsch and Ben Sherman. One day they are visiting Naomi’s family garage that is also her mom’s science lab. They are not supposed to touch or play with any of her experiments. Ben notices a new device that is called the “Transfogram”. The notes explain that the experimental machine will transform a person into whatever they are thinking about at the moment. Ben is eating a potato pancake and decides to push the button to see what the machine will do; Ben is transformed into a potato pancake! Ben attends school as a potato pancake and the reader will enjoy the reactions of their friends an...

Beam of Light: The Story of the First White House Menorah by Elisa Boxer, illustrated by Sofia Moore Rocky Pond Books (imprint of Penguin Books), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Laurie Adler   Buy at Bookshop.org A Beam of Light is a spectacular nonfiction picture book told from the point of view of a wooden beam which is eventually fashioned into the first menorah, indeed the first piece of Judaica, that was added to the permanent White House Holiday Collection. "I was supposed to be destroyed" is a repeated refrain throughout the book, as the beam survives a dilapidated White House, the Truman-era demolition and renovation, landfills, and storage, to experience consequent salvation.  The wood reflects on the "deeper level of destruction" it witnessed in 1943, when the sitting president refused to offer refuge to Jews, and millions perished in the Holocaust. Yet, like the Jewish people, the wood comes from strong roots, can withstand the ravages of...

Oy, Santa! or There's a Latke to Learn about Hanukkah by Joyce Schriebman, illustrated by Gila von Meissner Intergalactic Afikoman, 2024  Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Lila Spitz Buy at Bookshop.org A young Jewish boy named Oliver corresponds with Santa Claus via email regarding Christmas,  correcting unintentional misunderstandings about Hanukkah. Mistakes include Hanukkah nomenclature, holiday foods and their appropriate toppings, and notable differences between the Gregorian calendar and the Hebrew Calendar. As Santa’s confusion with Hanukkah traditions escalates, Oliver’s emails become snarky, demonstrated by the increased size and bolded font of the text. Illustrator Gila von Meissner enhances the juxtaposition of Christian and Jewish holidays by contrasting Santa’s cute felines with Oliver’s playful canine. The artwork portrays Oliver as the African American son of a heteronormative mixed-race couple, with a helpful younger sister. Jewishness is an integral part of ...

  Rachel Friedman and Eight Not-Perfect Nights of Hanukkah by Sarah Kapit, illustrated by Genevieve Kote Henry Holt & Co. (imprint of Macmillan), 2024 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Julie Ditton Buy at Bookshop.org The irrepressible Rachel Friedman is back. When a classmate says that Christmas is better than Hanukkah, Rachel feels the drive to make this year the best Hanukkah ever. But then her best friend gets sick, her brother thinks that he is too old for Hanukkah and worst of all, Dad forgets to buy potatoes for the latkes. Sarah Kapit has written a plot that will keep young readers engaged and has developed characters that they can relate to. Rachel is smart and energetic and knows how to take action. Her brother just had his Bar Mitzvah and has the typical attitude of not wanting to do things that seem babyish. The sibling interaction is realistic. Just when Rachel is most fed up with him, he does something nice. The fantastic grey-tone illustrations by Genevieve Kote h...

Don't Invite a Bear Inside for Hanukkah by Karen Rostoker-Gruber, illustrated by Carles Arbat Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Melissa Lasher Buy at Bookshop.org Illustrated in cheerful blues, golds and browns, Don’t Invite A Bear Inside For Hanukkah depicts the worst playdate ever—and how a boy turns the debacle into a treasured holiday memory. Set in a snowy mountain town, a narrator tells the story in a style akin to If You Give A Mouse a Cookie. Despite the narrator’s warning, a generous boy invites a massive, blundering, hungry bear into his home to celebrate Hanukkah. What could possibly go wrong? Only everything. The bear sends dreidels and candles flying. He eats all the gelt and latkes. Then, unbearably, he rips apart the presents. Oy! The boy banishes the bear. When guilt sends the boy out after the bear, through the forest, he sees a tree-branch menorah in the bear’s den window. The boy finds himself in a pickl...

A Dragon for Hanukkah by Sarah Mlynowski, illustrated by Ariel Landy Orchard Books (imprint of Scholastic), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili   Buy at Bookshop.org   A Dragon for Hanukkah follows Hannah as she receives a gift on each successive night of the holiday. Or does she? Does she really receive gifts of a dragon, a rainbow, a treasure chest and the like? No . . . Yes? With her signature flair for fantasy, author Mlynowski spins an imaginative story in which children will recognize all the elements of Hanukkah, including the menorah, latkes, the Maccabees, and dreidels. Well incorporated is also the idea of tzedakah when children (and adults) may get too focused on gift-giving. Illustrator Landy's vibrant and whimsical expressive artwork add to the magical feel of the tale, while the rich purple and blue palette bring the reader right into the feel of the wintertime setting. Back matter is presented in a fun manner with a Q and A...

Hanukkah (Celebrations & Festivals series) by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Rotem Teplow Words & Pictures (imprint of The Quarto Group), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Dena Bach Buy at Bookshop.org Award winning author Lesléa Newman has gifted us a fine attempt at all-inclusive book to illuminate the celebration of the holiday of Hanukkah. With a few caveats, this book is a good place to start — full of history, traditions, recipes and rituals. It follows a child named Lior (a Hebrew name translated here as “my light”) when he and his family celebrate Hanukkah with their extended family and friends, and with their wider community. Their preparation begins with decoration, cleaning, descriptions of the Hanukah menorah (hanukkiah) and of the dreidel game, and a retelling of the historical story of Hanukkah. As the guests start arriving, laden with holiday gifts, they join the family in lighting their many hanukkiot and reciting the blessings (included in English and trans...

The Light From My Menorah: Celebrating Holidays Around The World by Robin Heald, illustrated by Andrea Blinick Pajama Press, 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Claire Freeland Buy at Bookshop.org As a young boy gazes at the light from his Hanukkah menorah, he embarks on a fantastical journey following its light around the world. Robin Heald’s beautiful, lyrical language describes fall/winter celebrations among different peoples, each centered on light. It’s a story of what connects us despite our differences. It encourages curiosity about different beliefs, different languages, and different customs. Along with the child in the story, the reader is shown the miracle and the universality of light.   The book opens and closes with the child joyfully celebrating Hanukkah with his family. There are no signs that the family is Orthodox, but the Hanukkah scenes are authentic with dreidels and sufganiyot. This book would certainly be shelved with Hanukkah books, but there are image...

Eight Sweet Nights, A Festival of Lights: A Hanukkah Story by Charlotte Offsay, illustrated by Menahem Halberstadt Doubleday Books for Young Readers (imprint of Knopf), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rebecca Greer Buy at Bookshop.org A joyous introduction to Hannukah for young children. This delightful story follows a family consisting of a mother, father, son, and daughter celebrating the Festival of Lights together. They visit extended family, cook and eat latkes and sufganiyot, light traditional candles, play dreidel games, and open presents. Each page includes a small caption explaining traditions and words that may not be familiar. At the end of the book, the complete Hanukkah story is told in an age-appropriate way along with information on what the word means and why it’s spelled in various ways. Also included is an overview of how and why Hanukkah is celebrated, discussing the many traditions depicted in the story. The parents and children are illustrated in a variety o...

Hanukkah Pajamakkahs by Dara Henry, illustrated by Olga & Aleksey Ivanov Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Linda Elovitz Marshall Buy at Bookshop.org Hanukkah Pajamakkahs , with its adorably cute illustrations, is the story of Ruthie, who is delighted to receive Hanukkah-themed pajamas - “Pajamakkahs” – on the first night of Hanukkah. Ruthie wants to wear them for all eight nights of the holiday, but her parents want her to keep them “spotless” for the forthcoming Hanukkah party. Antics ensue as Ruthie (who has promised to keep them spotless) makes latkes – and gets streaks (but not spots) on her pajamakkahs, candle drippings (but not spots) on her pajamakkahs, strips of tape, sticky sufganiyot, sparkles, and squishes (but not spots) on her pajamakkahs. After all, if the oil in the Hanukkah story could last eight nights, certainly Ruthie’s pajamakkahs can, too. This rousing tale is hilariously illustrated with bright, bold colors depicting the adventur...

Charley & Seymour's Hanukkah Miracle by Melody Howard Ritt, illustrated by Nia Gould Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group) 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Shanna Silva Buy at Bookshop.org In this story, we meet best friends Charley Chipmunk and Seymour Squirrel. The pair does everything together, but in particular, they love to celebrate Hanukkah. When Charley forgets that he’s meant to bring candles to light the menorah, he finds lots of other things starting with the letter C instead. Younger kids will appreciate this subtle humor and the repetition of all the “C” items. Improvisation has the duo make do with oil, in a parallel to the Hanukkah miracle of old. This clever problem solving makes for a happy ending. This book is appropriate for the stated 4-8 age group, and indeed would serve as a good Hanukkah primer to non-Jewish readers as well. The characters are friendly-looking and there is much Jewish imagery in the art: gelt, menorahs, Stars of D...

Let It Glow by Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy Feiwel & Friends, 2024 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Jacqueline Jules Buy at Bookshop.org The device of long-lost identical twins reunited is delightfully employed by Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy in this fun middle grade holiday novel. Holly and Aviva are two well-adjusted twelve-year-olds, comfortable with their status as adoptive daughters in their respective loving families. They both have a close relationship with a grandparent. This brings them both to Rowena Village, a senior center holding a December holiday pageant. Aviva, a born performer, enthusiastically volunteers, (at her Bubbe’s suggestion), to do a Hanukkah song. Holly reluctantly agrees to help backstage. They meet by accident at rehearsals and immediately bond as sisters. Aviva suggests that they switch places and surprise their families with a big reveal during the holiday pageant. Holly goes along, thinking that they will be discovered right away. However, both gir...

Hanukkah Hippity-Hop by Barbara Kimmel, illustrated by Ana Zurita Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker Buy at Bookshop.org Hanukkah Hippity-Hop is a perfect board book for the little ones just learning about every Jewish child’s favorite holiday. Barbara Kimmel’s short, memorable rhyming lines will get the kids chiming in after a couple of readings. Each page celebrates a different aspect of the holiday: jelly doughnuts, latkes, the Maccabees and more. In the kinetic illustrations by Ana Zurita, a diverse group of kids practically jump off the page. They will have the readers hippity-hopping along with the story. The bright, saturated colors will be appealing to this youngest set of readers, and the smiles on the children’s faces are contagious. The expressive kitty adds to the fun. Of course, the Jewish content is on every page, and can be enjoyed by Jews of every stripe. Learning about Hanukkah, singing and...