Chanukah Book For Kids

Although this book is an updated version of an earlier work, it is not new from this season. The book begins with 10 questions to think about during Chanukah and goes on to explain a variety of Chanukah elements: The decree of Antiochus, something rarely told to children and which adds reality to the meaning of the Chanukah story; the Maccabees; the legend of the oil; the rabbinical decree of the miracle (not from the original story); customs of Chanukah today as well as games. Interspersed between each serious explanation are the "Can You Find?" fun pages, where the average time to find what is requested in the illustrations is 27 minutes. Children of four to eight should enjoy the activities and gain new insights into the meaning of the holiday.

Sybil Kaplan
Jewish Bulletin
Vancouver, British Columbia
November 28, 2003