Eight Nights of Lights: A Celebration of Hanukkah

by Leslie Kimmelman, Hilli Kushnir (Illustrator)

Overview

Happy Hanukkah! Count down each night with this gorgeous and fun holiday storybook.

Celebrate the eight nights of Hanukkah with this interactive, one-of-a-kind menorah and storybook set. The perfect Hanukkah gift for the entire family to enjoy!

Each night, open a candle-shaped book and follow a young Jewish girl and her family as they decorate their home, say blessings, enjoy traditional foods and games, and gather to hear about the brave Maccabees and their victory that brought light to all Jews.

Flip the book over to “light” the candle and place it back in the menorah to commemorate each night of the Festival of Lights!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063242487
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/12/2023
Pages:	72
Sales rank:	1,100,978
Product dimensions:	12.00(w) x 12.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Leslie Kimmelman has long been associated with Sesame Workshop both as a writer and editor. She is the author of more than three dozen children's books, including Eight Knights of Hanukkah, The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah and Write On, Irving Berlin!, which were both Sydney Taylor Notable Books, and the Sydney Taylor Honor Book Everybody Says Shalom. She lives in the New York City area. Visit her at www.lesliekimmelman.com. 

Hilli Kushnir is an illustrator with more than a decade’s experience illustrating kids’ books, greeting cards, and branding materials. She lives in New York City, where she drinks too much coffee, raises a couple of kids, grows and kills houseplants, and has conversations with passerby dogs. Visit her at www.hillik.com.

Editorial Reviews

08/28/2023

Format takes center stage in this novelty picture book, whose covers open to reveal a large menorah with nine pouches (including one for the shamash), each containing a slender volume designed to mimic a candle’s dimensions. On the front cover of each book is a candle with unlit wick; a flame appears on the reverse, so readers can “light” the menorah after reading. Kushnir makes the most of limited space with cheery, efficiently detailed images of young Lena, of Cuban heritage, and her parents and family cat Pickles celebrating with food and fun, family and friends, and teachable moments. Notably, Kimmelman takes some stories beyond a domestic setting: a seventh-night walk sparks a discussion about Jewish pride and religious freedom, and the eighth night sees a lively synagogue fete attended by variously diverse partygoers, where the room is “ablaze with light” from each family’s menorah. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

An imaginative and inclusive take on Hanukkah that ought to be lots of fun for readers.” — Kirkus Reviews

“This fun, informative, and educational offering is perfect for story hours built around the holiday.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

09/15/2023

PreS-Gr 2—This interactive menorah and storybook set includes nine stapled eight-page paperback booklets (1 ½ x 6 inches) depicting a young girl celebrating Hanukkah with her family and friends. On the first night, Lena cleans and polishes her menorah with the help of her cat Pickles. On the second night, she teaches her neighbor Jules, a dark-skinned boy, how to play dreidel. On night number three, Lena and her cousins act out the story of the Maccabees. On the fourth night, Lena and her parents discuss how "one small person can make a big difference," and on the fifth night they deliver toys, books, and socks to the children's hospital, donate money to a hurricane relief fund, and volunteer at the animal shelter. A Hanukkah cook-off with potato and Cuban-inspired plantain pancakes and a hike to see all of the lights in the neighborhood fill nights six and seven. And on the eighth night, Lena attends a festive party at her synagogue with games, crafts, jelly doughnuts, singing, and dancing. Children will enjoy removing each candle from the menorah and flipping it over to "light" it. VERDICT Not ideal for library circulation. However, this fun, informative, and educational offering is perfect for story hours built around the holiday.—Rachel Kamin

School Library Journal

2023-08-12
This interactive tale presents the candles on a menorah as small booklets to be pulled out and read, each describing one night of Hanukkah.

Opening up this picture book, readers are presented with nine glued-down sleeves that create a menorah. Each sleeve contains a small rectangular booklet whose cover is illustrated to look like a candle on the menorah; they are labeled “shammash” (the candle used to light the others), night 1, night 2, and so on. Pulling out a “candle,” readers open up the booklet to learn about the holiday through the eyes of Lena, a young girl who lives with her parents and her cat, Pickles. Stories include activities such as lighting the menorah, playing the dreidel game, making latkes, giving gifts, helping those in need, reenacting the triumph of the Maccabees, and visiting the synagogue on the eighth night. The whole presentation is effectively illustrated and well thought out, both as an informative introduction to Hanukkah and a lively, family- and community-oriented tale. Lena and her parents are brown-skinned; other characters are diverse in terms of skin tone and hair color. A child using a wheelchair is depicted, and Lena’s abuelita, who was raised in Cuba, offers a nod to Sephardic Jewish heritage. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An imaginative and inclusive take on Hanukkah that ought to be lots of fun for readers. (Informational picture book. 5-10)

Kirkus Reviews