Chanukah enlivens all of the senses with its oil, light, and sweet treats. Now, award-winning author Sylvia Rouss brings the holiday experience alive for children in her new book, A Touch of Chanukah. 

Rouss, an early childhood educator known for creating the popular Sammy the Spider and The Littlest books, helps children explore the eight-day festival of lights with a rhyming rendition of the Jews’ triumph over darkness. The book has “touch and feel” elements, including the waxy feel of the Chanukiah’s candles and sticky sensation of the jelly of sufganiot (jelly donuts), which Rouss said her grandchildren especially love.

“I have always used rhymes in my work as a teacher, so adding the tactile component made it an even more rewarding concept,” Rouss said. “The story is inspired by the symbols that a young child identifies with the holiday of Chanukah.”

Rouss has taught Jewish preschool for more than 30 years and has had 33 books in print or slated for publication since 1992. She has lectured throughout the United States, Europe, and Israel, and even with her success as an author, she has not given up what she loves most: teaching. The greatest inspiration for her books, Rouss said, is her students. 

“My classroom of 4-year-old children keeps me on my toes and is a constant source of entertainment and inspiration,” she said. 

Years of teaching has shown Rouss that some parents struggle with cultivating their child’s Jewish identity, and her books are her way of meeting that challenge.

“I think my books can be helpful to a parent if they match an action with reading the story,” she said. “For instance, if you’re going to read about Chanukah, you want to be lighting candles in your own home. My books are important tools that families can use to strengthen their Jewish identity, but they are complements to Jewish celebrations, not the end-all to celebrations.”

Rouss said she hopes to do more “touch and feel” books, but most of all, she hopes that children’s Chanukah memories are reinforced by reading the story. 

“I was pleased with the project,” she said. “It’s so much fun for children.”

Touch of Chanukah can be purchased from Kehot.com