The 28 Best Hanukkah Books
“What are the best Hanukkah books?” We looked at 21 articles and 106 different books in an attempt to answer that very question. Below you will find our results of the 28 top Hanukkah books of all-time. Click here to learn more or purchase any of the books listed, and click here to see the methodology used in creating and ranking the books.
The Type of Intro Paragraph You Will Find in a Best Hanukkah Books Listicle
The snow has started to fall, we’ve now officially passed over the Thanksgiving holiday, and December is right around the corner. Now is one of the best times of year, because it means we are nearing the festival of lights! There are several ways to get in the holiday spirt, but one of the best is to experience the joy of Hanukkah with our list of festive books. Whether you’re gifting them to a child, enjoying them yourself, or sharing with others, our list of the top Hanukkah books is great for people of all ages!
What you will find when looking through “Best Hanukkah Books” lists:
- The number 8. If you’re reading a Hanukkah book list, there’s a 95% chance it’s going to be a top 8 list.
- Candle, Menorah, olive oil, and especially Dreidel imagery.
- Non-Jewish individuals confusion between Chanukiah and Hanukkah
- Eric A. Kimmel
- Mentions of Christmas
The 28 Best Hanukkah Books of All Time
Total articles consulted: 21
Different Books Listed: 106 (See full list at bottom of page)
28.) Celebrate Hanukkah by Deborah Heiligman
Appears On: 2 Lists
Buy
27.) Eight Winter Nights: A Family Hanukkah Book by Laura Krauss Melmed, Elisabeth Schlossberg (Illustrator)
Appears On: 2 Lists
Buy
26.) Hanukkah Haiku by Harriet Ziefert, Karla Gudeon (Illustrator)
Appears On: 2 Lists
Buy
25.) Hanukkah Moon by Deborah daCosta, illustrated by Gosia Mosz
Appears On: 2 Lists
Buy
24.) Hanukkah: A Counting Book by Emily Sper
Appears On: 2 Lists
Buy
23.) Hanukkah! by Roni Schotter and Marlyn Hafner
Appears On: 2 Lists
Buy
22.) How I Saved Hanukkah by Amy Goldman Koss, Diane deGroat (Illustrations)
Appears On: 2 Lists
Buy
21.) Latke, the Lucky Dog by Ellen Fischer, illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke
Appears On: 2 Lists
Buy
20.) Maccabee!: The Story of Hanukkah by Tilda Balsley (Author), David Harrington (Illustrator)
Appears On: 2 Lists
Buy
19.) My First Menorah by Salina Yoon
Appears On: 2 Lists
Buy
18.) Runaway Dreidel by Lesléa Newman, Kyrsten Brooker (Illustrator)
Appears On: 2 Lists
Buy
17.) The Chanukah Guest by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Giora Carmi
Appears On: 2 Lists
Buy
16.) The Dreidel That Wouldn’t Spin by Durga Yael Bernhard (Illustrations)
Appears On: 2 Lists
Buy
15.) The Flying Latke by Arthur Yorinks
Appears On: 2 Lists
Buy
14.) The Golden Dreydl by Ellen Kushner, Ilene Winn-Lederer (Illustrator)
Appears On: 2 Lists
Buy
13.) The Hanukkah Mice mini edition by Ronne Randall, Maggie Kneen (Illustrator)
Appears On: 2 Lists
Buy
12.) The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story by Lemony Snicket and Lisa Brown
Appears On: 2 Lists
Buy
11.) The Miracle Jar: A Hanukkah Story by Audrey Penn (Author), Lea Lyon (Illustrator)
Appears On: 2 Lists
Buy
10.) When Mindy Saved Hanukkah by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Barbara McClintock
Appears On: 2 Lists
Buy
9.) A Hanukkah Treasury by Eric Kimmel and Emily Lisker
Appears On: 3 Lists
Buy
8.) Hanukkah Lights by David Martin, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Appears On: 3 Lists
Buy
7.) Mrs. Greenberg’s Messy Hanukkah by Linda Glaser, Nancy Cote
Appears On: 3 Lists
Buy
6.) Moishe’s Miracle: A Hanukkah Story by Laura Krauss Melmed, David Slonim (Illustrator)
Appears On: 4 Lists
Buy
5.) The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes by Linda Glaser, illustrated by Nancy Cote
Appears On: 4 Lists
Buy
4.) The Trees of the Dancing Goats By Patricia Polacco
Appears On: 4 Lists
Buy
3.) Chanukah Lights Everywhere by Michael J. Rosen, Melissa Iwai (Illustrator)
Appears On: 5 Lists
Buy
2.) Sammy Spider’s First Hanukkah by Sylvia A. Rouss
Appears On: 6 Lists
Buy
1.) Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric A. Kimmel, Trina Schart Hyman (Illustrator)
Appears On: 9 Lists
Buy
The 78 Other Books Included In Lists
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- A Country Christmas by Bob Artley
- A Literary Bible”, David Rosenberg
- A Little Princess
- Alexandra’s Scroll: The Story of the First Hanukkah by Miriam Chaikin
- All About Hanukkah
- All of a Kind Family
- All the Lights of the Night by Arthur A. Levine, illustrated by James E. Ransome
- An Adventure in Latkaland, A Hanukkah Story by Karen Fisman (Author), Thomas Mcateer (Illustrator)
- Anne Frank”, Francine Prose
- Arthur Schwartz’s Jewish Home Cooking by Arthur Schwartz
- Bee Season by Myla Goldberg
- Bright Baby Touch and Feel Hanukkah
- Celebrate! Stories of the Jewish Holidays by Gilda Berger
- Celebrating Kwanza by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith and Lawrence Migdale
- Chanukah in Chelm by David A. Adler and Kevin O’Malley
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Collected Stories”, Isaac Bashevis Singer
- Curveball: The Year I lost my Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick
- Dog Loves Books (Louise Yates
- Drawing in the Dust”, Zoe Klein
- Elijah’s Angel: A Story for Chanukah and Christmas Michael Rosen and Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson
- Farmer Kobi’s Hanukkah Match Karen Rostoker-Gruber and Rabbi Ron Isaacs, illustrated by CB Decker
- Festival of Lights: The Story of Hanukkah
- Frosty the Snowman Retold by Annie North and Corinne Malvern
- Fudge” Series
- Hanukkah at Valley Forge I
- Hanukkah Bear
- Hanukkah Cookies with Sprinkles David Adler, illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler
- Hanukkah Ha-Has: Knock-Knock Jokes That Are a Latke Fun By Katy Hall
- Hanukkah is Coming! Tracy Newman, illustrated by Vivian Garofoli
- Happy Hanukkah Lights by Jacqueline Jules (Author), Michelle Shapiro (Illustrator)
- Hoppy Hanukkah!
- How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? By Jane Yolen
- How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch
- How Rocket Learned to Read (Tad Hills
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess
- I Have a Little Dreidel Maxie Baum and Julie Paschkis
- I Know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Dreidel
- I Will Not Read this Book (Cece Meng
- Intentions
- It’s a Book (Lane Smith
- It’s a Miracle! A Hanukkah Storybook by Stephanie Spinner, illustrated by Jill McElmurry
- Jackie’s Gift by Sharon Robinson, illustrated by E.B. Lewis
- Jane Yolen Picture Book: How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight
- Latkes, Latkes, Good to Eat: A Chanukah Story by Naomi Howland
- Letter on the Wind
- Look! A Book! (Bob Staake)
- My First Chanukah
- My first Hanukkah board book
- My Two Holidays A Hanukkah and Christmas Story By Danielle Novack (Author), Phyllis Harris (Illustrator)
- On the First Night of Chanukah
- Oskar and the Eight Blessings Richard Simon and Tanya Simon, illustrated by Mark Siegel
- Potato Pancakes All Around by Marilyn Hirsh
- Rashi”, Elie Wiesel
- Sammy Spider’s First Taste of Hanukkah, a Cookbook Sylvia A. Rouss and Genene Levy Turndorf; illustrated by Katherine
Janus Kahn - Simon & The Bear – Eric Kimmel
- Something From Nothing
- Sons of the 613 by Mike Rubens
- The Best Hanukkah Ever
- The Book of Genesis Illustrated”, R. Crumb
- The Case for God”, Karen Armstrong
- The Eighth Menorah
- The Incredible Book Eating Boy (Oliver Jeffers)
- The Kvetch Who Stole Hanukkah By Bill Berlin
- The Magic Menorah: A Modern Chanukah Tale by Jane Breskin Zalben
- The Miracle of Hanukkah
- The Monster at the End of this Book (Jon Stone
- The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore and Robert Sabuda
- The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
- The Story of Hanukkah
- The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt
- The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green by Joshua Braff
- The Ziz and the Hanukkah Miracle
- We Are in a Book (Mo Willems
- Where Is Baby’s Dreidel?
- Without Tess by Marcella Pixley
- Zigazak by Eric A. Kimmel
- Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories Issac Bashevis Singer and Maurice Sendak
List Sources By Publish Date
- 11/28/2007: Avalanche-Journal Hanukkah books for kids may soften Christmas envy
- 1/16/2008: Ebay – Top 10 Childrens Holiday Christmas Hanukkah Books List
- 3/18/2010: Huffington Post – 7 Books To Give For Hanukkah
- 11/18/2010: The Childrens Book Review – Kids’ Hanukkah Books: One for Each Night
- 11/23/2010: Mom Trends – BEST HANUKKAH BOOKS FOR KIDS
- 11/30/2010: Fourth Musketeer – My Top Books for the Eight Nights of Hanukkah
- 12/1/2010: Baby Center – 7 Hanukkah books your children will love
- 11/27/2012: mom.me – 10 Best Hanukkah Books
- 12/11/2012: Yalss – 8 Books for Hanukkah
- 11/10/2013: Red Tricycle – 8 Hanukkah books to read this month
- 11/17/2013: Random Handprints – The Best Hanukkah Books for Kids
- 12/1/2014: Gailterp – Hanukkah Books for the Family
- 12/18/2014: Book My Kids Read – New (to us) Hanukkah Books to Celebrate the Season
- 7/9/2015: HubPages – 7 Hanukkah books your children will love
- 11/5/2015: JTA – The 5 best new Hanukkah books for children
- PBS – Hanukkah Booklist
- Family Education – 10 Best Hanukkah Books for Kids
- About – Best Hanukkah Books for Kids
- Kveller – The Best Kids’ Books to Give for Hanukkah
- Savvy Auntie – The Best Hanukkah Picture Books!
- Good Books For Kids – Shan’s list of “Great Hanukkah Books” for 5 to 9 Year Olds
