This book would be good for primary and intermediate students. It can be used to open a discussion about how there are different religions and that they have different holidays. The book tells the story of a mice family that celebrates Hanukkah, and it gives us insight into how Hanukah is celebrated. ( )

A very sweet story about a dollhouse that is given to a little girl on the first night of Hanukkah and the following seven nights, furniture for the dollhouse. A mouse family moves in not knowing that the little girl knows and places several Hanukkah related articles in the dollhouse. A must read for little ones. - Karen S. ( )

My personal response to the book: The book was well done. It is a cute alternative for illustrating the eight days of Hanukkah. Students will come away learning more about Hanukkah.
Curricular connections: The curricular connections include religion and Hanukkah. A TL or teacher could have this available to share different religious practices the month of December.

The story covers each night of Hanukkah, with a family of mice taking advantage of the presents the little girl in the family, Rachel, is receiving. Unbeknownst to them, she is watching them the entire time and bestowing upon them Hanukkah gifts of her own.

In my opinion, “The Hanukkah Mice” is a marvelous book for children, especially Jewish children. The story is about a mice family that celebrates Hanukkah with the humans that they live with. The plot of this story is organized to match the order of the Hanukkah holiday. For example, one page is about the two families celebrating the first night of Hanukkah. That night the mice “…watched Mr. Silman, one of the Big People lift shames candle, say the prayers, and light the first Hanukkah candle.” The book follows this sequence by showcasing the next night and the next night until it is the eighth day of Hanukkah. When the human daughter opens her first gift, it is a doll house that becomes a home for the mice. Each day following the first night, the girl gets doll house furniture to fill the doll house. The illustrations use bright colorful backgrounds to catch the reader’s attention. The illustrations display each night of Hanukkah and the new gifts that the girl gets. One of the most eye-catching illustrations is the one in the beginning of the story when the mice are sitting on the large, human couch to watch the opening of the gifts. The story raised an important lesson about family. This story pushes readers to broaden their perspectives about the real importance of holidays. The big idea is to show children that Hanukkah is not about gifts, but it is about being thankful for what they have and celebrating with family. ( )