DECEMBER 19 • 2024 | 35

Everything looks new when 

seen from a child’s perspective, 
including menorahs, dreidels and 
latkes. But family togetherness is 
something everyone understands. 
Even if children are too young to 
understand the history and details 
of Chanukah, they are never too 
young to share in the joy of family, 
special foods, symbols and singing 
— all featured in this delightful 
book. ($12.99, available on the PJ 
Library Amazon Web Store)

 
Hanukkah at Monica’s 
Written and illustrated by Varda 
Livney, PJ Publishing
Everyone loves Chanukah, the 
eight-day Jewish festival of lights — 
and no one loves Chanukah more 
than Monica! That’s why Monica’s 
house is the place to be for a 
candlelighting, dreidel-spinning, 
latke-frying good time. Octopi, 
jellyfish and robots all agree! Who’s 
going to arrive at her party next? 
($8.99, available on the PJ Library 
Amazon Web Store)
 
Hanukkah Bear 
Written by Eric A. Kimmel, 
illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka, 
Holiday House
Bubba Brayna makes the best 
latkes in the village, and on the first 
night of Chanukah, the scent of her 
cooking wakes a hungry, adorable 
bear from his hibernation. He 
lumbers into town to investigate, 
and Bubba — who does not see or 
hear very well — mistakes him for 
her rabbi. She welcomes the bear 

inside to play dreidel, light the 
menorah and enjoy a scrumptious 
meal. However, after her well-fed 
guest leaves, there’s a knock at 
the door — it’s the rabbi, and all 
of Brayna’s other friends, arriving 
for dinner. But there are no latkes 
left — and together, they finally 
figure out who really ate them in 
this playful Chanukah tale from a 
master storyteller. ($7.99)
 

AGES 6-8
Hanukkah Upside Down
Written by Elissa Brent Weissman, 
illustrated by Omer Hoffman, 
Abrams
In this award-winning, 
delightfully upside-down picture 
book holiday story, cousins 
from opposite sides of the globe 

debate who can celebrate the best 
Chanukah. Eight chances to prove 
it — may the best cousin win! 
From their homes in New York and 
New Zealand, cousins Noah and 
Nora decide to have a competition. 
Winter versus summer: Who can 
have the world’s best Chanukah? 
But as the eight nights go on, the 
contest proves tougher than they 
imagined. A warm, witty holiday 
story from acclaimed award-
winning creators Elissa Brent 
Weissman and Omer Hoffmann, 
Hanukkah Upside Down shows that 
while there are countless ways to 
celebrate Chanukah, family is what 
matters most. ($18.99)

 
Onions & Garlic
Written by Rebecca Sheir, 
Illuatrated by Sabina Hahn, PJ 
Publishing
In this graphic adaptation of 
an old Yiddish folktale, Haskell 
masters the art of cooking onions, 
survives a shipwreck and finds 
himself successful beyond his 
wildest dreams. Retold by public 
radio veteran Rebecca Sheir, with 
comic-format artwork by Sabina 
Hahn, Onions & Garlic is inspired 
by the first live episode of the 
award-winning podcast Circle 
Round (WBUR). A humorous 
tale about the realities of supply 
and demand, Onions & Garlic will 
delight readers of all ages. ($8.99, 

available on the PJ Library Amazon 
Web Store)

AGES 9-12
Detour Ahead 
Written by Pamela Ehrenberg, 
Tracy López
Every weekday morning, 12-year-
old Gilah takes the same public 
bus to her school in Washington, 
D.C., and this year, she’s finally 
allowed to ride alone. On the very 
first day, the bus swerves too close 
to a bicyclist, and Gilah finds the 
courage to alert the driver to stop 
the bus. Without a bike, 13-year-
old Guillermo starts riding the H4 
with Gilah. This National Jewish 
Book Award finalist is the story of 
a Salvadoran-American boy who is 
a poet, a neuro-diverse Jewish girl 
who loves breakdancing, and how 
they navigate the detours of their 
families, their friendship, and their 
lives. ($9.99, available on the PJ 
Library Amazon Web Store)
 
 For a gift that keeps on 
giving well past the eight days of 
Chanukah, sign up for a free PJ 
Library subscription to receive 
a new, age-specific book each 
month. Learn more or sign up 
for monthly children’s books at 
pjlibrary.org. 

continued from page 33
CHANUKAH

