By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

“Banana Menorah”

*Picture used with permission of Apple and Honey Press*

The delightful picture book “Banana Menorah” by Lee Wind and illustrated by Karl West (Apple and Honey Press) portrays the creativity that makes Hanukkah such a fun holiday. The unnamed young narrator is on vacation with her Daddy and Papa, when they realize they forgot to bring a menorah with them. She cleverly turns a banana into a menorah and then the next night, when the banana is spoiled, she creates another menorah out of granola. The narrator is glad to be home on the fourth night of the holiday and sees the three menorot her family normally uses to be comfy and cozy. However, by the fifth night, she again wants to include something new. The book does a wonderful job showing how it’s possible to combine both the tried and the true with something creative.

“It’s a Mitzvah”

*Picture used with permission of Pengiun Workshop*

Looking for a way to introduce your very young child to the concept of a mitzvah? Suzy Ultman’s board book “It’s a Mitzvah! Small Deeds with a Big Heart” (Penguin Workshop) is a great start. She offers 10 concepts from tzedakah to simcha with easy to understand, very short explanations and bright-colored drawings to help illustrate her point. The book is a good starting point: parents should continue the discussion by asking their children to come up with examples of each mitzvah, in addition to talking about the importance of each one. 

“Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Hanukkah Party!”

*Picture used with permission of Random House, TM & © Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P. 2025*

Some picture books need to be read out loud in order to better appreciate the prose. That’s true for “Dr. Seuss’s Horton Hears a Hanukkah Party!” by Leslie Kimmelman and illustrated by Tom Brannon (Random House) because the rhymes are far clearer and cleverer when vocalized. Poor Horton is ridiculed by his friends when he tells them about the sounds he hears at night. However, the other animals finally see the light of a very small Hanukkah menorah and learn the meaning of the holiday from the rabbi of Who-ville. Dr. Seuss fans will be thrilled to see the Seuss-like drawings of the Hanukkah party. The story also teaches how every creature – large and small – can bring light into the world.

“Fanny’s Big Idea: How Jewish Book Week Was Born”

*Picture used with permission of Rocky Pound Books*

I confess to having known nothing about the real-life Fanny Goldstein before reading “Fanny’s Big Idea: How Jewish Book Week Was Born” by Richard Michelson and illustrated by Alyssa Russell (Rocky Pound Books), but I was so glad to have made her acquaintance. How could I not enjoy reading about someone whose love of books matches mine? Plus, even though her family immigrated to the United States, Fanny embraced her Jewish heritage, even though she was encouraged to become more American. Her desire to educate herself and her love of books led her to become a librarian. In 1925, her library in Boston offered the first Jewish Book Week, which later became Jewish Book Month. She also held other weeks for different minority groups to remind them to celebrate their heritage and culture. I hope this work will inspire an adult biography. Until then, book lovers of all ages can enjoy “Fanny’s Big Idea.”