There was an old lady who swallowed a dreidel … perhaps it’s fatal! There are many great stories to read to your kids over Chanukah. What a wonderful way to spend time with your family – curling up with a good book or CD. The Isaac Waldman Jewish Public Library has lots of each from which to choose.
Two of the newest books for Chanukah are Honeyky Hanukah by Woody Guthrie and I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Dreidel by Caryn Yacowitz.
Written in rhyme, Honeyky Hanukah lights the way for a night of family, friends, food and fun in a warm and joyful celebration, and it includes a CD performed by the Klezmatics.
I Know an Old Lady is also a rhyming book, written in a cumulative style, and with the help of the artwork, this well-known folk song takes on a new life in this tale about celebrating Chanukah with Bubbe and her family.
Two of the library’s most popular classic storybooks to read aloud are A Hanukkah Treasury by Eric Kimmel and The Stone Lamp by Karen Hesse and Brian Pinkney.
Treasury is a Chanukah compilation filled with history, flavor, legends, contemporary stories, recipes and games, suitable for the entire family. Stone Lamp comprises a series of eight free-verse poems in which the authors capture the resilient spirit of the Jewish people through the imagined voices of eight children at Chanukah.
These are just some of the Chanukah books available at the library. There are also dozens of holiday CDs and the library even has a Chanukah klezmer collection. To peruse the entire catalogue, go to jcclibrary.ca or just come up to the second floor of the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, say hi, and browse through the collection in person.