Review Detail

“A Dragon for Hanukkah” by Sarah Mlynowski, illustrated by Ariel Landy, is wonderfully imaginative, with an adorable use of back matter to explain the story of Hanukkah in conversational form with the dragon asking questions about the holiday, including how he got his name (“ner” in Hebrew means candle, lamp, or light).

From the dragon that provides fire to light the candles to a merry-go-round that has the letters that adorn a dreidel (nun, gimel, hey, shin), to the gold coins found in a treasure chest that are reminders of Hanukkah gelt, to learning the story of the Maccabees who were the original people in the story of this wonderful holiday, there is something special about each of the eight nights.

The family in the story celebrates Hanukkah by singing songs, playing dreidel, eating latkes, and even giving tzedakah (charity) of old toys that other children may enjoy. The beauty of the holiday is on display in this colorful, enjoyable romp through the head of a child who is only excited about Hanukkah and all it has to offer.