Celebrating Hanukkah and Childhood Play with Adina Oberman

In this warm and thoughtful episode, Jed welcomes back Adina Oberman to celebrate her new board book, H Is for Hanukkah: A Festival of Lights, an ABC primer that introduces little ones to Hanukkah traditions and diverse Jewish cultures from around the world. Adina shares how she first joined the show as a blogger with Big Books for Little Hands and later became part of the Familius publishing team, where her passion for early childhood and representation shines through.

Adina explains how H Is for Hanukkah highlights not only familiar Ashkenazic traditions, but also Sephardic and other Jewish cultures—like “B is for biscochos,” a cookie from Spanish-speaking Jewish communities—so more children can see themselves in the pages of a book. Jed and Adina reflect on the power of books as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors, helping kids understand themselves, their neighbors, and the wider world.

They also talk about why seemingly “simple” board books can take years to create. With a small, dedicated team at Familius, every word and illustration is carefully considered to support babies’ and toddlers’ early learning, fine motor skills, and social-emotional growth.

Adina offers an accessible explanation of Hanukkah’s history, the miracle of the oil, and why the holiday is celebrated for eight nights in many parts of the world. The conversation closes with a passionate defense of play as the true work of early childhood, and encouragement for families to put down their phones, get on the floor, and learn together through reading, play, and connection.