Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins

Author: Eric Kimmel

Illustrator: Trina Schart Hyman

Genre: Fiction

Major Awards: Caldecott Medal

Grade Level: Pre-K-5

Summary: This book creatively teaches about Hanukkah traditions by telling the story of a man named Hershel of Ostropol and how he saved Hannukah. When Hershel strolled into a village, he discovered that they did not celebrate Hannukah because the evil goblins who lived in the synagogue hated it and always caused trouble. The only way to save Hannukah and get rid of the goblins was to go into the synagogue and light a candle each night, but the eighth candle on the eighth night had to be lit by the king of the goblins. Hershel was up for the challenge. Hershel outsmarts each of the goblins, while taking part in Hannakuh traditions such as lighting the shammes candle and spinning dreidel. On the eighth night, Hershel, despite being afraid, tricked the king of the goblins into lighting the shammes candles and the king lost all his power over Hannakuh. The menorah with its lit candles remained, despite the synagogue being destroyed. Hershel of Ostropol had saved Hannakuh for the village.

Evaluation: I really enjoyed reading this book and learning about a different religion's holidays. I have not had much exposure to this, as I grew up in East Texas (the Bible Belt). I would like to also expose my students to new cultures and religions (in an educational way) so that they are not only more informed, but be culturally responsive throughout their lives. I think the book was very creative in how it showed many of the traditions in Hannakuh and I would definitely share this book with my students.

For younger students (pre-k through first or second), I would read this book aloud. It has a lot of cultural vocabulary they will not have heard before, so it would be important for me to preteach it so they can better understand the story. For older students, I may even still preteach the vocabulary or have them learn some of it independently before reading the book by themselves. It would make a great readaloud for young students and a good independent reader for older students.

This book can be used so many different ways in the classroom! Personally, I would use it during a cultural unit. For example, I could have many different books about different cultures or religious traditions and have a class "culture week." Each day they could learn about something new and on the final day they could bring something such as a food, drink, object, or clothing item that reflects their own culture. I think this book is especially good for this area because it is fiction, so students wouldn't have to only read nonfiction books. They could have exposure to many types of books while learning.