Eight nights is a lot of presents, and a book is one of the few that is still being opened long after the candles burn down. A good story read by the light of the menorah is a tradition many families keep for years.
There are not many Hanukkah books among the big prize winners, so we cast the net a little wider. Alongside the one Hanukkah classic that won a Caldecott Honor, this list gathers Jewish folktales, Yiddish stories and family histories that the Newbery and Caldecott juries recognized, from a Polish village of fools to a Sephardic family crossing the sea.
Every pick says who it suits best. The picture books work from about age 3, the story collections are perfect for reading one a night with children of 6 to 10, and the last two books are for confident readers of 9 and up.
Honor1990
Trina Schart Hyman
Great for reading as you light the candles
Goblins have taken over a village synagogue and won't let anyone celebrate Hanukkah, until clever Hershel of Ostropol spends eight nights outwitting them, one trick at a time. Written by Eric Kimmel, with Trina Schart Hyman's wonderfully creepy goblins, it is funny, a little spooky and the best-known Hanukkah picture book there is. Best for 5 to 9.
1990 Caldecott Medal Honor Book
Winner2000
Simms Taback
Great for little ones
Joseph's old overcoat wears out, so he makes it into a jacket, then a vest, then a scarf, and on down to a button, and finally a story. Based on a Yiddish folk song, with die-cut holes that show what comes next, it won the Caldecott Medal. A joyful book about making something out of nothing. Best for 2 to 6.
2000 Caldecott Medal winner
Honor1978
Margot Zemach
Great for a family laugh
A poor man complains to the rabbi that his hut is too crowded, and the rabbi tells him to bring in the chickens. Then the goat. Then the cow. A classic Yiddish folktale with a punchline children see coming and love anyway. Margot Zemach's version was a Caldecott Honor Book. Best for 4 to 8.
1978 Caldecott Medal Honor Book
Honor1980
Uri Shulevitz
Great for a quiet bedtime story
A poor man named Isaac dreams three times of treasure buried under a bridge in a faraway city, and walks all the way there to find it, only to learn it was waiting at home all along. Uri Shulevitz tells this old tale, known in Jewish and other traditions, in a few quiet words and glowing pictures. A Caldecott Honor Book. Best for 4 to 8.
1980 Caldecott Medal Honor Book
Honor1967
Isaac Bashevis Singer
Great for one story a night
Seven Yiddish tales by Isaac Bashevis Singer, illustrated by Maurice Sendak. In the title story, a boy sent to sell the family goat in town before Hanukkah is caught in a blizzard, and the two keep each other alive in a haystack for three days. Warm, funny and wise, and a Newbery Honor Book. Read aloud to 6 to 10.
1967 Newbery Medal Honor Book
Honor1969
Isaac Bashevis Singer
Great for one story a night
More of Singer's stories, including tales of Chelm, the village of fools whose wise men get everything gloriously wrong. A Newbery Honor Book, with pictures by Margot Zemach. Lovely for reading aloud over the eight nights, and for older children to read on their own. Best for 7 to 11.
1969 Newbery Medal Honor Book
Winner1997
David Wisniewski
Great for a child who loves legends
In 16th-century Prague, Rabbi Loew shapes a giant out of river clay to protect the city's Jews from attack. David Wisniewski's intricate cut-paper art won the Caldecott Medal. A powerful legend with some frightening scenes, better for children of 7 and up than for little ones.
1997 Caldecott Medal winner
Honor2025
Ruth Behar
Great for confident readers
Four girls from one Sephardic Jewish family, five hundred years apart: one forced to leave Spain in 1492, then Turkey, Cuba and finally Miami. Ruth Behar's novel was a 2025 Newbery Honor Book, and a rich gift for a reader of 9 to 12 curious about where their family comes from.
2025 Newbery Medal Honor Book
Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins is the classic, funny and just spooky enough. For a younger child, Joseph Had a Little Overcoat is gentler and easier to follow.
Yes. The Association of Jewish Libraries gives the Sydney Taylor Book Award each year for books that show the Jewish experience. This site follows the big general prizes like the Newbery and Caldecott, so the books here are ones those juries chose.
Mostly not. They are folktales, family stories and legends from Jewish tradition, and they are enjoyed by children of every background.
For more ideas, see our holiday gift guide with one pick for every age.