Hanukkah lasts eight nights, which makes it perfect for a story a night. In 2026 it begins at sundown on Friday 4 December. Below are the famous Hanukkah books families love, plus free stories for every age. For the history, traditions and dreidel rules, see Hanukkah for kids.
Famous Hanukkah picture books (borrow from your library)
- Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (1989): a clever traveller outwits goblins over eight nights. A Caldecott Honor book.
- Latkes and Applesauce by Fran Manushkin (1989): a snowy Hanukkah and a lost dog.
Free Hanukkah stories for ages 3–7
- Eight Little Lights: counting the candles, one more each night (K).
- The Helper Candle: why the shamash lights the others (K).
- Spin, Little Dreidel (K) and Add the Candles (Grade 1).
- The Maccabees Stood Tall: the Hanukkah story, told gently (Grade 2).
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Hanukkah books for ages 8–12
- Judah and the Brave Few (Grade 3) and The Revolt in Modi’in (Grade 5): the history behind the holiday.
- Dreidel Probability Fun (Grade 2) and The Multiplication Menorah (Grade 3) for maths.
- Faraday’s Candle (Grade 6): the science of a candle flame.
Hanukkah reading for teens
High-school Pagine Originals explore the history and science around the festival: The Hellenistic World (Grade 9), Antiochus IV: Ruler, Reformer or Tyrant? (Grade 10) and Archaeology of the Hasmonean Period (Grade 12).
A story for each of the eight nights
Pick eight books before the first night and read one after lighting the candles. Add a free Hanukkah reading tracker and colour in a candle for each story, or try a Hanukkah word search on a quiet evening.
Read free Hanukkah stories in Pagine, one for every night.