Hanukkah is a holiday filled with songs. We sing them with our children; we sing them when we’re lighting candles: everything from “Ma’oz Tzur” to “I Have a Little Dreidel” to “Ocho Kandelikas.” One song not typically associated with the holiday, though, is “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” That is, until now.
When I wrote my children’s book, Twinkle, Twinkle, Hanukkah, I thought of pairing the nursery rhyme to the holiday because the image of a brightly shining little star was so fitting for Hanukkah. For a holiday that’s all about spreading more light, what could be more apropos? Much to my delight, I discovered that a book with a sing-song tune, a rhythm and cadence to follow makes it even more special, even more of a perfect holiday match.
For even those too young to understand the words on the page, they know and love, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and already recognize the melody before they even know what the song is about. I’ve found that those same children are excited to have their grownups read Twinkle, Twinkle, Hanukkah to them, because it feels familiar, comfortable, and even comforting. It’s like falling back into something they know, which is, of course, what our favorite books often provide—not to mention what the Jewish holidays at their most special can feel like as well.
This Hanukkah season, as we prepare our littlest ones for the light of the holiday, I hope my book becomes a part of that routine, helping Jewish children find the fun, the comfort, and the joy in song, in books, and most importantly, in Hanukkah itself. And I hope that teachers in classrooms everywhere can use it to that end, to bring the light of the season and the warmth of the holiday to all the children in their care.
Talia Benamy
Editor and Backlist Manager
Philomel/Penguin Random House
Brooklyn, NY
