When looking for holiday books for preschoolers, it is important to remember that Christmas is not the only December holiday celebrated in the United States. Of course, as adults, we know this but for preschoolers, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are as foreign as their spellings might be to us. How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague is a great way to introduce preschoolers and early elementary school students to the magic of Hanukkah. But wait, confused by the spelling difference? I was too, until I learned that ch is pronounced as a hard h in Hebrew. So its still pronounced the way we are used to hearing it.
If you are familiar with the How do dinosaurs...? series, this book has the same great pictures and catchy rhymes. But the best thing about this book is that it introduces students to the concepts of Hanukkah using the words latkes,dreidel, gelt. For those of you who need a little Hanukkah refresher course, latkes are potato cakes traditionally eaten during Hanukkah. Dreidels are used to play a game during Hanukkah and gelt refers to money or chocolate coins that are given to children during the holiday. The book also teaches that Hanukkah is an 8-day holiday during which there are special prayers and presents. This is a wonderful book to share this holiday season!
