Children love the Hanukkah story because it is a great tale of perseverance, love, and miracles. Plus, they get to hear it while spending time with their family, eating delicious foods, playing fun games, creating holiday crafts, and getting presents! What’s not to love?
There are a lot of great opportunities to explore the story of Hanukkah with your little ones. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite Hanukkah books for kids so they can fall in love with reading and you can add some great stories to your library.
Hanukkah children’s books
- Hanukkah books for toddlers and preschoolers
- Hanukkah read aloud books
- My first Hanukkah: Hanukkah books for babies
Hanukkah books for toddlers and preschoolers
It is easy to get your little ones excited for reading when they are listening to books about their favorite holiday, so check out our list of Hanukkah books for toddlers and preschoolers to find some great options for your library.
Happy Hanukkah! (Peppa Pig) by Cala Spinner
Why do toddlers love Happy Hanukkah! (Peppa Pig)?
One of the best ways to excite your toddler or preschooler about reading is by finding books that feature their favorite characters. This Peppa Pig Hanukkah book is great because your child gets to explore the Hanukkah traditions with Peppa and her family. And the book includes a sticker sheet and Hanukkah fact sheet!
Buy Happy Hanukkah! (Peppa Pig)
Biscuit’s Hanukkah by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Why do toddlers love Biscuit’s Hanukkah?
Biscuit’s Hanukkah Book is a great way to introduce Hanukkah to your toddler who also loves dogs. The story follows pup Biscuit as he makes a menorah to celebrate the holiday with his family. If you want, pair reading this book with some fun Hanukkah activities and DIY Hanukkah crafts like toilet paper roll menorahs and paper gelt.
Buy Biscuit's Hanukkah
The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s 8 Nights of Chanukah by Eric Carle
Why do toddlers love The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s 8 Nights of Chanukah?
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of the best books for toddlers and most of them have heard the story countless times. So, they will definitely be excited to see their caterpillar friend as he goes through the different traditions of Hanukkah. Plus, this counting book is a great way to practice numbers!
Buy The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s 8 Nights of Chanukah
Hello, Hanukkah! by Susan S. Novich
Why do toddlers love Hello, Hanukkah!?
Parents and toddlers love Hello, Hanukkah! because it’s a great book that combines teaching and colors with setting up to celebrate the miracle of lights. The story discusses the traditions of the holiday while letting toddlers practice their new skills.
Buy Hello, Hanukkah!
Happy Hanukkah, Curious George by H. A. Rey
Why do toddlers love Happy Hanukkah, Curious George?
Toddlers (and parents) who are already fans of Curious George will love this Hanukkah book that includes a lot of the fun activities that happen during the 8 nights of the holiday. But, this one is extra fun for both children and adults because it includes interactive elements like a latke recipe and instructions for making a dreidel.
Buy Happy Hanukkah, Curious George
Hanukkah read aloud books
Read alouds are a great way to tell the Hanukkah story to children of a variety of different ages at the same time. If you have older children, you can have them read to the younger ones, or as the adult, you can gather the whole group and read to everyone together. Here are some of our favorite Hanukkah read aloud books for the whole family. Maybe you can even combine this time with a sing-along of some of the great Hanukkah songs, too!
Hanukkah Bear by Eric A. Kimmel
Why is Hanukkah Bear a great Hanukkah read aloud book?
This fun and engaging book tells the story of Bubba Brayna, who’s delicious latkes lure a friendly bear into her home. With bad eyesight, Bubba thinks the bear is her rabbi and she feeds him all of the latkes. After he leaves, the rabbi comes but there are no more latkes! Your whole family will be giggling and loving this silly story of Hanukkah joy and tradition.
Buy Hanukkah Bear
The Ninth Night of Hanukkah by Erica S. Perl
Why is The Ninth Night of Hanukkah a great Hanukkah read aloud book?
In this lovely picture book, Max and Rachel are about to celebrate Hanukkah in their family’s new apartment but they can’t find any of their candles, menorah, dreidel, or anything else. Luckily, their neighbors help them celebrate by providing what they need. Once they find everything, they decide to hold an extra night of Hanukkah to thank their friends for the support. This heartwarming story is a great way to teach your children about empathy and gratitude.
Buy The Ninth Night of Hanukkah
Noah and the Eight Trucks of Hanukkah by Nancy Rips
Why is Noah and the Eight Trucks of Hanukkah a great Hanukkah read aloud book?
It’s no secret that children love trucks. In this fun Hanukkah book, Noah comes up with a way to bring trucks into his favorite holiday by creating a festival of trucks (like the festival of lights) to honor the brave Maccabees from the Hanukkah story.
Buy Noah and the Eight Trucks of Hanukkah
D is for Dreidel: A Hanukkah Alphabet Book by Greg Paprocki
Why is D is for Dreidel a great Hanukkah read aloud book?
Alphabet books are fun to read aloud to children because you can encourage them to go through the alphabet with you and practice their letters out loud. In D is for Dreidel, each letter is accompanied by a Hanukkah themed word, which will make the alphabet even more fun!
Buy D is for Dreidel
The Eight Knights of Hanukkah by Leslie Kimmelman
Why is The Eight Knights of Hanukkah a great Hanukkah read aloud book?
In this fun adventure book, a spoilsport dragon named Dreadful comes to town and ruins the townspeople’s Hanukkah celebrations. So, the Eight Knights of Hanukkah come to the rescue, fixing the issues caused by Dreadful and catching up to the dragon so they can stop him from wrecking any more holiday celebrations. But, when they do finally meet Dreadful, they are surprised by what they find. Children and adults will love this exciting and silly story.
Buy The Eight Knights of Hanukkah
My first Hanukkah: Hanukkah books for babies
Celebrating a child’s first Hanukkah is such a special moment. After you say a Shehecheyanu prayer for their first time celebrating Hanukkah, you can sit down with them and read one of these fun and informative Hanukkah books for babies.
Indestructibles: Hanukkah Baby by Ekaterina Trukhan
Why is Indestructibles: Hanukkah Baby a great Hanukkah book for babies?
Indestructibles: Hanukkah Baby is one of the best books for babies because it is, like they say, indestructible. The book is rip-proof, waterproof, and safe in case your baby is interested in tasting the book (as they do sometimes). But not only that, this book has brightly colored and fun illustrations to get your baby excited about their first Hanukkah.
Buy Indestructibles: Hanukkah Baby
Bright Baby Touch and Feel Hanukkah by Roger Priddy
Why is Bright Baby Touch and Feel Hanukkah a great Hanukkah book for babies?
Babies “read” by touching, so this touch & feel Hanukkah book is a great way to get them excited for the holiday. The images show our favorite Hanukkah moments like the dreidel and the menorah candles so that babies can begin to find familiarity in these pictures.
Buy Bright Baby Touch and Feel Hanukkah
Hanukkah Lights by David Martin
Why is Hanukkah Lights a great Hanukkah book for babies?
With simple words, clear illustrations, and a great list of the many holiday traditions, Hanukkah Lights is the perfect board book for babies to get excited. If you can, read the book while showing them the actual items and letting them touch & feel as they hear the words.
Buy Hanukkah Lights
Happy Hanukkah, Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
Why is Happy Hanukkah, Pout Pout Fish a great Hanukkah book for babies?
This board book is a short adventure to introduce toddlers to the holiday of Hanukkah. It follows Mr. Fish as he teaches the youngest guppies in the school about the traditions that make Hanukkah such a joyful and fun holiday.
Buy Happy Hanukkah, Pout Pout Fish
Baby’s First Hanukkah by DK
Why is Baby’s First Hanukkah a great Hanukkah book for babies?
Baby’s First Hanukkah is a soft-covered, rounded board book so that babies can really take control, hold onto the book, and “read” it on their own, if they’d like. Featuring real photos of Hanukkah traditional items, it is a great book for babies to start with as they gain familiarity with both the holiday and reading.
Buy Baby's First Hanukkah
We hope this list of Hanukkah children’s books has provided the inspiration you need to refresh your library and get your little ones even more excited for the holiday. If you are looking for fun online and in-person Hanukkah activities, check out what our educators have to offer on Sawyer! Happy Hanukkah, everyone!
