31 Days of Holiday Read Alouds - Week 1

This month, instead of featuring a book every Sunday, I'm sharing 31 days of holiday read alouds! Today I'm sharing books for the first week of December; going forward, the next week's batch of books will be shared every Tuesday. 

Note: You can download a calendar with all the books for the month at the bottom of this page. I looked for books that were awesome and also easily accessible - I'm pretty sure I found all but one as read alouds on YouTube and, all books are available for purchase on Amazon and other book retailers, and I was able to find most of them at my public library.

Let's get right to the books for week 1! 

1. "Dancing Dreidels" by Alva Sachs and Patricia Krebs

This adorable books tells the story of a group of dreidel friends preparing for the Hanukkah celebration. One of the dreidels has a really hard time spinning but with help and support from her friends, as well as a LOT of practice, the dreidel was able to succeed and have a wonderful time!

2. "Queen of the Hanukkah Dosas" by Pamela Ehrenberg and Anjan Sarker

This is a sweet and funny story about a multicultural family, Mom is Indian and Dad is Jewish, who is preparing for Hanukkah by frying up tasty Indian dosas! The book made us laugh as little Sadie climbed all over everything and drove everyone crazy! It absolutely reminded us of Squidgy when he was about 18 months old and we'd constantly find him on top of everything! But at the end of the day, of course it's Sadie's climbing that ends up saving the day!

3. "Meet the Latkes" by Alan Silberberg

We discovered this book last December and it had us all in giggles the entire time! Grandpa Latke recounts the story of Hanukkah with just a few details a little off...listen along as their dog, Applesauce, tries to correct Grandpa's story and share the REAL story of Hanukkah!

4. "Daddy Christmas and Hanukkah Mama" by Selina Alko

Come along as Sadie and her parents decorate and prepare for a Hanukkah-Christmas party with their family! I love how traditions from both holidays come together side by side to create one awesome celebration!

5. "The Saint Nicholas Day Snow" by Charlotte Riggle and R J Hughes

If you've never heard of Saint Nicholas or Saint Nicholas Day, this is a wonderful book to introduce you to the holiday and the man behind the holiday. And if you are familiar, it's a sweet story about Catherine and Elizabeth, who are having a Saint Nicholas sleepover because Elizabeth's parents are at the hospital with her grandmother. Love, kindness, and faith soothe Elizabeth's worries and they all end up having wonderfully snowy time!

6. "The Ninth Night of Hanukkah" by Erica S. Perl and Shahar Kober

I adore the message in this book! Max and Rachel are excited about Hanukkah in their new apartment but their Hanukkah box is missing! Their new neighbors are extremely generous and find substitutes for all their missing things...even though they're not always what Max and Rachel were hoping for. As Hanukkah comes to an end, they are inspired by the Shamash candle which always lights all the others and decide to throw a celebration for all those who helped them make this Hanukkah one to remember!

7. "The Gift Inside the Box" by Adam Grant, Allison Sweet Grant, and Diana Schoenbrun

This story is so cute! It follows a box as it looks for just the right person...not someone hoping to get something from the box, but someone looking to give! It's a fantastic reminder that this is the season of giving, not getting. Who would you give the box to??

If you want to keep track of which books you've read and look ahead to the rest of the month, download our printable Holiday Read Aloud Calendar - December 2022. And if you're looking for some fun activities to do as a family this month, check out the Holiday Activity Calendar.

I hope you and your family have lots of cozy cuddly story time this holiday season!