In November PJ Library subscribers ages got a special Hanukkah book the PJ Library team selected especially for the 100th anniversary of Jewish Book Month. Families with younger subscribers received Hanukkah with Friends by Chris Barash, an adorable board book that shows a variety of woodland creatures enjoying Hanukkah together. It’s likely that your budding reader is asking for repeat reads of this story – here are a few ways to build in small Hanukkah lessons with each read through.
Read
If you love Hanukkah With Friends, you will also enjoy these sweet board books about Hanukkah:
Do
Explore Hanukkah using all five senses, just like the characters in the book do.
- Taste a delicious Hanukkah treat or a piece of gelt.
- Watch the lights of the flickering candles.
- Feel the dreidel in your hands.
- Listen to a traditional Hanukkah melody like “I Have a Little Dreidel”.
- Smell the delicious scents of latkes frying – dinner will be ready soon!
Look
Open the book again and spend time with each scene:
- What are the animals doing on each page?
- Do any of those traditions look like things you do at home?
- How about the colors?
- Can you find something orange or red in the illustrations?
- Do you see something white?
- Do you see your favorite color?
More
Enjoy Music and Stories About Hanukkah
Learn at Home With Meet the Latkes
Printables To Help Celebrate Hanukkah at Home
December 2, 2025