HIT.Hanukkah books to read aloud

[Joan Kimball <jkim@BORG.COM>]

What a wonderful response from so many of you!  Thank you.

I asked for "good titles, fiction, easy or non-fiction" for Hanukkah,
and look at the wealth!  Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel is
the all-time favorite with 17 recommendations. For the sake of privacy, I
will not attach names to the comments, but I would like to thank the
following for their contributions:
Jaci Schoen, Peggy Beck, Betty Picone, Cheryl Cartwright, Josephine Dervan,
Rosalyn R. Friedman, Linda Kalata, Jeanne L. Clark, Ginny Waples, Fran Tripka,
Yapha Nussbaum Mason, Bettie Fisher, Sue Kluger, Carol Harma, Michele Pozner,
Nina Jackson, Janna Heinen, Nancy Kellner, Meg Schimmels, Joanne Proctor,
Mary Ireland, Sue Esterman, Susan Grigsby,  and a couple of people who
wished to remain anonymous.

Joan Kimball          jkim@borg.com
------------------------------------------------------------------
DATE OF HANUKKAH
Jewish colleagues helped me with this.   All Jewish holidays start
at sundown. The first DAY of Hanukkah is December 14, but Hanukkah
STARTS at sundown on December 13, and the first of the eight days
of Hanukkah ends at sundown on December 14.

 TITLES
(Numbers in brackets indicate the number of people recommending the title.)

NON-FICTION BOOKS
A Great miracle happened there / Kuskin (gr. K-3)
Hanukkah: the festival of lights / Koralek  (out of print)
Hanukkah book / Burns (gr. 2-6)
On Hanukkah / Fishman (gr. K-2)
Story of Hanukkah / Simon


PICTURE BOOKS AND FICTION
Asher and the cap makers: a Hanukkah story / Kimmel [2]
Borrowed Hanukkah latkes / Glaser
By the Hanukkah light / Oberman
Chanukah in Chelm / Adler
Chanukkah guest / Kimmel [12]
Chanukkah tree / Kimmel [2]
Christmas menorahs: How a town fought hate / Cohen
Elijah's angel: a story for Chanukah and Christmas / Rosen [3]
Grandma's latkes / Drucker
Hanukkah of Great Uncle Otto / Levoy [2]
Happy Hanukkah rebus / Adler
Hershel and the Hanukkah goblins / Kimmel [17]
Jeremy's dreidel / Gellman [3]
Latkes and applesauce: a Hanukkah story / Manushkin [4]
Magic dreidels: a Hanukkah story / Kimmel
Malke's secret recipe: a Chanukah story / Adler [3]
Miracle of the potato latkes: a Hanukkah story / Penn
Odd Potato: a Chanukah story / Sherman (out of print) [2]
Potato pancakes all around : a Hanukkah tale / Hirsh
Sharing Hanukkah / McDonnell
Spotted pony: a collection of Hanukkah stories /Kimmel (8 folktales,
   1 for each night)
There's no such thing as a Chanukah bush, Sandy Goldstein /
   Sussman (a novel)
Tie man's miracle: a Chanukah tale / Schnur [5]
Trees of the dancing goats / Polacco [7]
 When Mindy saved Hanukkah / Kimmel

RECORDING
The Trees of the Dancing Goats (Simon &Schuster, 1996; $22;
ISBN 0-689-81193-4; gr. K-5), a special CD edition with author,
Polacco, reading the story, and music by Hankus Netsky

VIDEOS
Miracle at Moreaux, Wonderworks Production (video).  Good for Gr. 6-9.
In the Month of Kislev (video). Good for K-5.
 This video is from Weston Woods. $49.95. (Call 1-800-243-5020)
[This title can  also be found as one of two Hanukkah stories on a
video called Stories from the Jewish Tradition, Children's Circle
Home Video,  1995. $14.95. jk]

INTERNET
List of Hanukkah books and their covers from Yapha Nussbaum Mason
http://home.earthlink.net/~stevemas/books/hanukkah.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

COMMENTS

Chanukah, Hannukah, Hannuka or however you would like to spell it starts at
sundown on December 13.  All Jewish holidays start at sundown.

Two books that blend Chanukah and Christmas are favorites of mine-
Elijah's Angel by Michael Rosen
The Tree of the Dancing Goats by Patricia Polacco
************************

 My favorite is "Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins" followed by "The
Hanukkah Guest" both by Eric Kimmel for younger kids.  For middle graders
there's "There's No Such Thing As A Chanukkah Bush, Sandy Goldstein" by
Sussman. In nonfiction there's Karla Kuskin's "A Great Miracle Happened
There" and Jenny Koralek's "Hanukkah."  "Elijah's Angel" by Rosen
celebrates both Hanukkah and Christmas.  There are supposed to be some good
new ones this season but I haven't seen them yet.
*****************************

I read _Latkes and Applesauce_ and then I make latkes served with sour
cream and applesauce for the second grades, which is usually the grade that
requests the activity every year.  Yum!
**************************

I like Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins for 3rd grade and
In the Month of Kislev (video) for my second graders.
********************

Our teachers really like:
       Latkes and applesauce : a Hanukkah story by Manushkin, Fran
       The trees of the dancing goats by Polacco, Patricia
       The Chanukkah guest by Kimmel, Eric A.
       The Chanukkah tree by Kimmel, Eric
        Hershel and the Hanukkah goblins by Kimmel, Eric A.

        The magic dreidels : a Hanukkah story by Kimmel, Eric
*******************

I immediately thought of a book that my students absolutely love, year
after year.  It is "Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins", by Eric Kimmel.
**********************

Grandma's Latke's -- (I also make the latke's--
potato pancakes, for them to sample)
**************************

My all time favorite Hanukkah book is:
Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric A. Kimmel
Other favorites:
The Trees of the Dancing Goats by Patricia Polacco
When Mindy Saved Hanukkah by Eric A. Kimmel
The Chanukkah Guest by Eric A. Kimmel

You can visit my website of Hanukkah books at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~stevemas/books/hanukkah.html
********************

I especially like the silly story, The Chanukkah Guest by Eric Kimmel.
At the beginning of December I put up two signs with symbols,
saying Merry Christmas To Our Christian Friends, Happy
Hanukkah To Our Jewish Friends.  I read Christmas and
Hanukkah stories all through December. In the week before Hanukkah, for
second graders, I tell a brief version of the  Bible story of the Maccabees
and
the miracle of the temple oil, and  follow that with a reading of
The Chanukkah Guest.  I end up teaching each class to play dreidel using a
plastic dreidel on a large flat tray with paper clips for "gelt" and an
index card that translates the Hebrew letters.  I leave the game
out at least through February so all the kids get a chance to play (quietly!).
****************************

I just wrote out a list of Hanukkah books I had in my library today and
stuffed it in my pocketbook to bring home.  I had a feeling someone may be
asking this question.
The Chanukah Guest,   Eric Kimmel,  Holiday House, 1990
Hershel & The Hanukkah Goblins,  Eric Kimmel,  Scholastic PB,  1990
Happy Hanukkah Rebus, David Adler,  Viking Kestrel, 1989
Latkes and Applesauce,  Fran Manushkin,  Scholastic PB,  1990
Potato Pancakes All Around - A Hanukkah Tale,  Marilyn Hirsh, Jewish
  Publications of America  PB, 1982
The Tie Man's Miracle - A Chanukah Tale, Steven Schnur,  Morrow Junior Books,
   1995
Miracle of the Potato Latkes - A Hanukkah Story, Malka Penn,  Holiday House
   1994
Chanukah In Chelm,  David Adler,  Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, 1997
The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes,  Linda Glaser,  Albert Whitman & Co, 1997
Elijah's Angel (Christmas and Hanukkah Story),  Michael Rosen, Voyager Books,
  1997.

Our Second Grade Teachers favorites are:
Hershel & the Hanukkah Goblins,  and   Latkes & Applesauce.

Hope this helps.
*************************

My school has no Jewish children so I like to use Kimmel's Chanukkah
Tree which incorporates Jewish traditions with Christmas.
*******************

I read Jeremy's Dreidel by Ellie Gellman to second grade, Sharing Hanukkah
I am not sure of author to first grade and a Hanukkah poetry book to
 kindergarten.  Also I have dreidels that I have bought to show the students.
********************

Hershel and the Hannukah Goblins
The Chanukah Guest
both by Eric Kimmel.
Our kids love Hershel and take it out all year long.
**********************

I've been reading "Asher and the Capmakers" by Eric Kimmel to my 3rd
graders.  They love it!
*****************

Trees of the Dancing Goats (Polacco) - great Xmas and chanukah
Hershel and the CHanukah goblins _ Kimmel
A James Ransome illus. book - One light ...not sure of title
****************

Grandma's Latkes
I read this to my second graders-  could be done for 1-3, I would imagine.
*****************

These were 1997 titles.
   Grandfather recalls the distant past with Hanukkah stories and then
relives his World War II hanukkahs practiced fearfully behind drawn
curtains during the persecution of the Jews in Sheldon Oberman's By the
Hanukkah Light (Boyds Mills, 1997; $15.95; ISBN 1-56397-658-7; gr. K-4).
      Patricia Polacco's The Trees of the Dancing Goats (Simon &
Schuster, 1996; $22; ISBN 0-689-81193-4; gr. K-5) is a special CD
edition with Polacco reading the story and music by Hankus Netsky.
Miracles are possible when Trisha sacrifices her grandfather's carved
animals to create a tree for her Christian neighbors who are ill with
scarlet fever.
     The Story of Hanukkah, by Norma Simon, with acrylic and ink mixed
multi-media by Leonid Gore, (HarperCollins, 1997; $14.95; ISBN
0-06-027419-0; gr. 2-5) is one of the more detailed retellings of the
origins of Hanukkah, followed by sharing the holidays today.
[newly illustrated edition. jk]
*********************

 My favorite is Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins.  The premise of the story
is how a group of goblins are haunting a village and ruin Hanukkah for
everyone.
Along comes Hershel who overcomes these creatures.  While it is not the
story of Hanukkah, it still tells the story of a man who defeats a group
that seems invincible.
*********************

Hershel and the hannukah goblin, by Eric Kimmel
The odd potato (US author, Ellen Bluestone Sherman, I think)
The Hanukkah of Great Uncle Otto - can't thinkof author (now work in a
different library from a public one!). but it's a brilliant story.

Off hand, that's all, but there are heaps more. Those are just three
that I have used with both Jewish and mixed groups, and told to adults,
with huge success.
********************

As I promised, here is the complete list of my favorite Hanukkah books that I
use at my school as well as my Temple library program.  Some are repeats of
what I sent you last week, now I am including the authors.

The Chanukkah Guest - Eric Kimmel
  An elderly woman mistakes a bear for the Rabbi.
The Tie Man's Miracle - Steven Schnur
  A story of the Holocaust for Hanukkah.
Malka's Secret Recipe - David A. Adler
  A Chelm story about a latkes recipe.
Jeremy's Dreidel - Elli Gellman
   A boy creates a dreidel for his blind father.
The Trees of the Dancing Goats - Patricia Polacco
  A wonderful Christmas/Hanukkah story.
Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins - Eric Kimmel
  A classic folktale.

I hope this helps.  There are many Hanukkah books out there, mostly from
Holiday House and Kar-Ben Copies, two major publishers of Jewish literature.
*****************************

The Chanukah Guest by Kimmel is a perennial favorite at our school!
*****************************

(I probably "overdo" Hanukkah titles because up here in the Scandinavian north
country, our kids do not get much exposure to other religions, customs and
cultures) I like "Herschel"  because I can use all kinds of dramatics!  We
have a dreidel and play with it, a menorah, and someday I'll probably try
to make latkes too!

"In the month of Kislev"  is a video from Weston Woods (49.95) and still
available from them (1-800-243-5020).

For our sixth graders, we use "Miracle at Moreaux" a Wonderworks production,
which is not only an exciting story, but combines a respect for Christian
and Jewish traditions, and is a great history lesson as well.  As I write
this, I'm not sure that this is a public performance video.  I make a point
of doing some general lessons using the Holocaust and WWII as a starting
point, so maybe it would pass.  I started 6th graders on it today - we show
it in 20 minute segments, and as in the past, they were totally  taken with
it.
*************************

Joan Kimball   Librarian, Writer, Storyteller.
Clinton NY.     jkim@borg.com        COMPUTER: Power Mac Performa 6115cd

  Retired from Hart's Hill Elem. School     PRINTER:HP 540   MODEM: 14.4

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