Growing up, I always heard about the menorah and the eight days and the dreidle and the oil that lasted far past when it shouldn't have anymore. Now as you can see, there's a few gaps in my knowledge.

The Story of Hannukah is a beautifully illustrated story in which the tale is spun out in a relatively straight-forward manner. An aspect to the story that I like is that it does not proclaim or force the Jewish faith upon the reader. There are no 'my God is better than your God' messages. Despite the religious background to the tale, it is told as just another story. I find that refreshing and enjoyable. ( )

History, traditional celebration, dredl game, latkes. Written for young readers

This book tells the traditional Hanukkah story, but also incorporates how families celebrate this Jewish holiday. It is important for students in elementary schools to all feel included around holidays, so introducing Hanukkah to a class with this book is a good way to do that. Students will be able to learn the historical reasons for Hanukkah as well as customs associated with it. The book also has additional information in the back that give "things to make and do during Hanukkah", which a teacher could easily incorporate into the classroom so students not only learn about different holidays, but can experience them as well.