My First Hanukkah Board Book (Board book)

by DK Publishing (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Using the same educational, eye-catching format as Dorling Kindersley's other My First books, this chunky little board book provides an explanation of Hanukkah appropriate for preschoolers. From the origin of the holiday to musical notation for a favorite Hanukkah song to a description of some of the yummy foods eaten during the festivities, My First Hanukkah Board Book packs a whole lot in a small package. In addition to divulging the details of the Festival of Lights, the book helps children develop vocabulary, early literacy, and counting skills ("How many candles are lit on these menorahs?"), and practice their shape and color identification skills. Children can tell their own stories based on the bright, colorful photographs of the rituals, games, and foods of the holiday, or they can read along with their parents as they begin the preparations for Hanukkah.

Some of the other popular My First titles include My First Bible Board Book, My First Word Board Book, and My First Animal Board Book. (Baby to preschool) --Emilie Coulter

Product Description
My First Word Books: The complete preschool learning program to develop your child's vocabulary and early literacy skills.

Product Details

• Reading level: Baby-Preschool
  
• Board book: 36 pages
• Publisher: DK Preschool; 1st edition (August 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789478900
• ISBN-13: 978-0789478900
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 4.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,225,938 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chock Full Of Information, November 10, 2001

By	Sunisurekick "sunisurekick" (Buenos Aires, Argentina) - See all my reviews

This is a well done Hanukkah book and very educational. This book makes a great holiday gift. Babies and preschoolers will like its many brightly colored pictures. Older children and adults can also learn from this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well done!, January 1, 2006

By	Bernalgirl (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

What a great starter book for young children. My 1-year old loves the photos -- one of the great things about the DK books because babies respond so well to them. And I appreciate an overview of the holiday that doesn't imply "the right way to do it." This should be appropriate and enjoyable for all Jewish homes. I also recommend 1st Shabbat and 1st Passover.

4.0 out of 5 stars A classic in our home - great for any Jewish family!, December 6, 2008

By	Jennifer M. Macleod "yiddishe supermama" (Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: My First Hanukkah Board Book (My 1st Board Books) (Board book)

First of all, major kudos to Dorling-Kindersley Publishers for not just coming out with another Chanukah book to coincide with the flood of Xmas books at this time of year, but creating beautiful Shabbat and Passover board books to accompany it.

(as I've said before, I am always slightly annoyed at the inclusion of Chanukah to the EXclusion of the many more important Jewish occasions throughout the year - let's be honest: it USUALLY only gets noticed because it takes place in December's "holiday season" - but not this time!)

So what's in this book?

Everything a kid needs to know about Chanukah: the story, the food, the symbols - everything.

I do sometimes ad-lib a bit with the text, bringing it down to the level and understanding of the child I'm reading it to, but as a springboard for discussion, and for its outstanding high-quality pictures, it's terrific.

I worried at first that children might find the depiction of the Temple scenes a little confusing since all the "actors" in the scenes are children, but in almost three years of reading this book, nobody has ever wondered why the Maccabees or the Syrians are all just little kids, so I guess I'm the only mixed-up one here.

There's plenty of counting practice (I don't find leaving out the shamash confusing, as a previous reviewer did... it only makes sense that you leave it out: otherwise, you're lighting three candles on the second night, etc...), and review of other basic concepts like shapes. There's even a little "quiz" at the back of the book - something I haven't seen in other DK "my first" board books.

With its universal and non-denominational exploration of the holiday, this book is a terrific, high-quality addition to any Jewish family's seasonal bookshelf.