Hanukkah Picture Books

Hanukkah arrives late this year, giving us plenty of time to get ready and get excited. Though not one of the holiest days in the Jewish year, it does provide a lot of fun, light, fried treats, and a good story of triumph.

Herschel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel and Trina Schart Hyman (1989)

Herschel of Ostropol visits a village on the first night of Hanukkah to discover that goblins are preventing the villagers from having their holiday. He spend the next eight nights in the synagogue, outsmarting the goblins, to end the curse and bring Hanukkah back.

Hanukkah Moon by Deborah da Costa and Gosia Mosz (2007)

With glowing illustrations and a warm story, this book tells of a girl’s visit to her Aunt Luisa’s during Hanukkah. I loved how the book incorporated Sephardic traditions of the holiday.

Maccabee!: The Story of Hanukkah by Tilda Baisley and David Harrington (2010)

If you only read one Hanukkah picture book, I vote for this one. It tells the origin story of the holiday in appealing rhyming text. It includes the refrain “Sometimes it only takes a few. Who know what’s right and do it, too.” That seems a great message to get across to kids and grown-ups right now.

The Eight Knights of Hanukkah by Leslie Kimmelman and Galia Bernstein (2020)

No, that’s not a typo, this books is about noble knights, a fair lady (the knights’ mother), and even a dragon. The knights are asked to stop the dragon and save the holiday. I enjoyed how the knights had different styles of helping (some went out to find the dragon while others stayed home to clean), but all were valued.

Hanukkah Upside Down by Elissa Brent Weissman and Omer Hoffmann (2023)

Two cousins — one in New York and one in Aotearoa New Zealand — debate who has the best setting for Hanukkah. Does the holiday fit best in winter or summer? With skating or swimming? For all the things that are different about their celebrations, plenty is the same (latkes, candles, prayers).