Hanukkah Storytime - Eight Wild Nights

Eight Wild Nights
Written by Brian P. Cleary Illustrated by David Udovic
Laptime: preschool - early elementary
Story Circle: preschool - early elementary

When I was in elementary school I had a friend who was Jewish. Every year he and his family celebrated Hanukkah and I was always a little jealous. What fun to have eight days of celebrating! Eight Wild Nights is a colorful and crazy depiction of what I imagined the Hanakkah celebration to be like.
This is the story of one family as they prepare for and then entertain an invasion of relatives and neighbors, including pets, for the eight nights of Hanukkah. Brian Cleary, a best selling poet, rhymes his way through the celebration with a rhythm that is a joy to read aloud. David Udovic's colorful illustrations give the eye something to discover in every corner of the page. I especially love the expressions on the faces of the various family members. This is a wonderful book to introduce the Hanukkah celebration to your children.

Laptime Activities:

1. Make Latkes and applesauce. For an easy recipe check out Haperschildren.com http://www.harperchildrens.com/hch/seasonal/holidays/hanukkah/recipe.asp.
2. Make a Dreidel: This site, http://www.billybear4kids.com/holidays/hanukkah/pattern.htm, has a pattern and game instructions that you can print out.

Story Circle Activities:

1. Make a Dreidel: See #2 in Laptime Activities
2. Family Show and Tell: This book really emphasizes family. Plan a family show and tell with you class. For a quick activity, go around the circle and ask the children to tell you about a favorite family member. Teacher prompts may include - What is the person's name? Do they live in your house? What is your favorite thing about this person? What is the funniest thing that you remember this person doing? For a show and tell that takes more preparation, ask each child to bring in a picture or an object that reminds them of a favorite family member.
3. If you have Hanakkah celebrators in your class, invite one of their parents or grandparents to class to tell how their family celebrates.