The Book of Candles by Laurel Snyder

The Book of Candles

Eight Poems for Hanukkah

Laurel Snyder

HarperCollins · Print & ebook · September 16, 2025

From Sydney Taylor Award winner and National Jewish Book Award honoree Laurel Snyder comes a warm, reverential, surprising, and fresh story of one very special Hanukkah.

Buy on Amazon

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
Eight Hanukkah poems make room for candlelight, family rituals, and the ordinary surprises of celebration.
Themes
Hanukkah celebration, Family and friends, Old and new traditions
Genres
Hanukkah, Judaism for Kids

Nearest books

Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved.

  1. A Dragon Called SparkLily Murray57% match
  2. Just USMolly Beth Griffin50% match
  3. The Very Best SukkahShoshana Nambi54% match
  4. Hanukkah, Here I Come!D.J. Steinberg69% match
  5. Construction Site Hanukkah LightsSherri Duskey Rinker59% match
  6. All Who Are Hungry, Come and Eat!Leslie Kimmelman55% match

For older readers: Eight Very Bad Nights: a Collection of Hanukkah Noir, The Sukkot and Simhat Torah Anthology, It's a Whole Spiel

Start with three books, and this one can be the first.

Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.

Start with this book

About this book

From Sydney Taylor Award winner and National Jewish Book Award honoree Laurel Snyder comes a warm, reverential, surprising, and fresh story of one very special Hanukkah. In a dark, dark room, one thin candle wakes, bursts to life Thus begins the first night of Hanukkah in one child’s home. But what does the light from the candle mean? What are the words everyone is singing? What will each of these eight nights hold?

Continue reading

Family and friends, takeout dinners and flat tires, traditions new and old—it’s all part of this year’s timeless, timely holiday celebration.

Candlelight and Company

Eight Hanukkah poems make room for candlelight, family rituals, and the ordinary surprises of celebration.

Come here for

  • A warm, reverential take on one family’s Hanukkah
  • Traditions old and new, alongside takeout dinners and flat tires

Expect

  • A child’s questions about candlelight and the words everyone sings
  • A celebration that makes space for both the timeless and timely

Where it sits

Judaism for Kids83%
Hanukkah53%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Family Stories
  • Holiday & Celebration Stories
  • Hanukkah Stories
  • Jewish Religious Stories
Show all 8 publisher categories
  • Friendship
  • New Experiences
  • Values & Virtues
  • Faith & Religion
Authors
Laurel Snyder
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
September 16, 2025
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Hanukkah celebration · Family and friends · Old and new traditions
Reading lane
Family Stories