Hanukkah, Christmas in Mexico, and Kwanzaa

Finding books to teach students about the holidays is like finding gold to me!  With help from my teaching partners, I get to send my students on a "Holidays Around the World" tour during the last week before break.  We each take a holiday to teach about and rotate our students through every one.  I usually teach about Hanukkah so I have two books to share for that holiday.  I've also included one very touching book for Mexican Christmas and one for Kwanzaa.

My first Hanukkah book is the book that I use to teach the story and miracle of Hanukkah.  It is called On Hanukkah by Cathy Goldberg Fishman.  It weaves together a story of a modern family celebrating Hanukkah and learning about the Jewish people losing their temple, winning it back, and the miracle of the oil.  It explains Hanukkah vocabulary very well and has beautiful pictures to enhance the story.

The second Hanukkah book that I like to share with my students is The Magic Dreidels by Eric A. Kimmel.  In this book, a boy named Jacob is playing with his dreidel at the well when it falls in.  A goblin who lives in the well offers him a magic dreidel to replace it.  He says it will spin out latkes (potato pancakes).  He races to take it home but first meets Fruma Sarah.  She learns the secret of the dreidel and replaces it with an ordinary one so she can keep it.  Jacob realizes that his dreidel doesn't work so he goes back to the goblin.  The goblin gives him a new dreidel that spins out Hanukkah gelt (money).  However, before he can get home, Fruma Sarah switches the dreidel again.  When Jacob discovers that his dreidel no longer works, again he returns to the goblin who has realized that Fruma Sarah is keeping it for herself.  He gives Jacob a new dreidel for Fruma Sarah to spin which releases fleas that bite her until she returns the magic dreidels.  The story ends with Jacob's family sharing the wealth from the two dreidels with the whole neighborhood.  This story is very exciting and would be great to use for sequencing events.

One of my favorite holiday books to share is The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola.  This is a touching story of the Christmas flower, the poinsettia.  Lucida and her mama are given the honor of making the blanket for Baby Jesus in the Christmas procession.  However, her mother falls ill and Lucida is unable to finish it on her own.  She doesn't want to go to the Christmas procession because she has nothing to offer to Baby Jesus.  An old woman sees her watching from the shadows and tells her that Baby Jesus would love any gift she has to offer so Lucida picks an armful of weeds as her gift.  The people are shocked that that she is bringing weeds into the church but after she prays the weeds bloom into beautiful flowers.  Her simple gift has become beautiful.  This story teaches the lesson that it is not the gift that is important, but the spirit of giving.

Finally, I like to read Seven Candles for Kwanzaa by Andrea Davis Pinkney to teach my students about Kwanzaa.  This is an informational book that teaches about the background of Kwanzaa and the seven principles.  I especially like the pronunciation guide for each Swahili word that is included within the text.  

I hope you consider sharing these wonderful books with your students during the holiday season.  My students have always enjoyed them!