Chanukah reading is a children’s miracle
Cute seasonal stories and clever ones to make sense of bullying and mental health issues are among the choices to read with your kids during the holidays
Louisa Walters is Features Editor at the Jewish News and specialises in food and travel writing
At this time of year when the the school bells stop ringing, a little Jewish pride won’t go amiss and books are where to find it.
PJ Library always has a great selection it gifts to families, many of which are also available to buy online and at Jewish bookshop. there are some lovely Chanukah (or Hanukkah if you prefer) titles and latkes feature large in all, so pop over to the online Hanukkah Hub for a recipe with your child and have a go at making them together.
You’re My Little Latke is a board book for babies and toddlers with clever cut out shapes and cute images of smiling dreidels, doughnuts and latkes.
Hanukkah Bear is a very amusing tale for nursery and early years children about Bubba Brayna, best latke maker in the village, who tempts a hungry bear out of hibernation with the scent of her cooking. Unfortunately Bubba Brayna doesn’t see or hear too well and mistakes him for her rabbi.
Little Red Ruthie takes the classic fairytale and adds lively illustrations and a Chanukah twist. The hungry wolf is still there but gets tricked into eating latkes instead of the heroine’s granny.
Hanukkah Upside Down is about two cousins who live on opposite sides of the world comparing similarities and differences of Hanukkah in their countries. With eight chances to prove who celebrates the festival in the best way before crowing a winner, they soon realise they have more in common than they thought.
To sign up your child for a free monthly Jewish book visit pjlibrary.org.uk and head to the online Hanukkah Hub for a latke recipe.
During the pandemic, while working with families and schools, South African dramatherapist Talya Bruck was asked the best way to tell children what was happening. This is when she decided to write a series of cute animal-centred therapeutic stories to help parents open conversations with their children about issues that may be affecting them.
Using the metaphor of animals living on the Savanna, Talya wrote Silo’s Sadness as the pandemic ended, introducing Young Silo the lion cub who lost his grandfather to the ‘pesky illness’. Seeing the need for such books, Talya wrote Talulah’s Rules, which is about autism, while Tiana’s Tale about a young zebra fleeing her home because of bigoted wildebeest cleverly presents racism. Gerry the Giraffe is affected by his father’s mental health and for Hugo the Hippo, born with one leg, issues of inclusion and understanding are addressed with his longing to join in on the Savanna Sports Day. Worry, disappointment and bullying are also presented in the most sympathetic way, so if your child feels like Georgie the Elf, who gets forgotten by his friends, Talya Bruck has the books to help. savanna-therapeutic.org.uk
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