(2) K-3 Illustrated by Julia Seal. For Ava's family, Hanukkah tradition involves everyone bringing their own unique menorah (one is non-kosher) and telling the story behind it. Great-Aunt Sylvia's, "made long ago by a silversmith in Poland," was lost, then retrieved; Mom's, made of tin, helped her cope with homesickness; Aunt Tamar (who married into the family via Aunt Rachel) learned of her Jewish ancestry through one that is generations old. Ava is determined to make her own menorah, but she's not sure how or what her story might be. Cartoony digital-looking illustrations feature Ava's fluffy pet bunny, Maccabee, to whom she has been narrating and whose presence helps her figure it all out.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Kristina Swarner. This useful volume features brief, short-lined, free-verse poems and "reflections" for each night of the holiday, connecting the ritual of candle-lighting to broader themes. It also provides Hebrew blessings with English transliterations and translations, historical background, dreidel-playing instructions, recipes, crafts, and sheet music. Mottled illustrations in warm pinks and blues evoke the hushed atmosphere around a lit menorah, while the text provides room for contemplation along with practical information.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(2) K-3 Photographs by Eliyahu Alpern. "Did you ever wonder HOW a menorah is made?" Ofanansky spotlights three artists working with different materials to craft menorahs; she also highlights a candle-maker and explores the olive oil–harvesting process. The conversational text provides history and details about Hanukkah and presents simple tips young readers can use to make their own menorahs, dreidels, and holiday treats. Vivid photographs in a scrapbook-like format engagingly capture the hands-on details.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Elisa Vavouri. Artist Misha doesn't have much but shares milk with the cat he finds in his barn. He can't afford candles, but he has paint and talent enough to add flames to a menorah on a canvas for a bright Hanukkah with his new friend. Stein's voice echoes Jewish folktale cadences; Vavouri's rich-hued illustrations are reminiscent of Chagall's work. A hamish, old-fashioned Hanukkah story.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(3) K-3 The people of Chelm (a city of fools) receive a giant menorah from a nearby mayor. The townspeople's plans to thank him never quite work out, which makes for a frustrating Hanukkah--until young Yitzi finds a simple, festive solution. The amusing, conversational storytelling style invites readers to settle in; wildly bright watercolor monoprints reflect the Chelmites' confusion and sense of wonder.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Julie Fortenberry. Sadie has made her own menorah at school. She's thrilled to take home her pink and blue creation, but she trips, shattering the menorah into "a million, zillion pieces." Luckily, the shammash remains intact--a Hanukkah miracle!--and a new tradition begins. Illustrations capture both the bustling and the quiet times of Sadie's classroom; light-infused pictures of the family at home radiate warmth.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2013

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Laura Hughes. "Sam's family already had lots of menorahs. They didn't need another one." This is Sam's predicament as he makes a Hanukkah menorah with his Hebrew school class. Sam's distress about this problem seems excessive, but it's resolved in a touching, if expected, way. The delicately rendered illustrations feature a loving family. Instructions for playing dreidel are (somewhat incongruously) appended.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) K-3 Podwal tells of the creation of the first menorah and how it became the eight-branched lamp with the "servant light" used to celebrate Hanukkah today. Freely drawn color illustrations light up this gracefully told story, which provides readers with a new perspective on the holiday and its symbols. An author's note provides additional information.

Reviewer: Amy Kellman

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Pesach Gerber. As the last night of Chanukah draws to a close, Oma once again tells her grandchildren the story of the treasured little menorah, "the Children's Menorah," miraculously created out of self-sacrifice by the women in a Nazi concentration camp. Softly colored illustrations depict the joyful contemporary Chanukah celebration, while muted browns and grays dominate the camp scenes in this respectful and dramatic narrative.

Reviewer: Lauren Adams | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 1999