Dinosaurs and Hanukkah aren’t an obvious pairing, but Hear Me Roar! I’m a HANUKKAHsaur makes the combination feel completely natural, and more than a little inspired. Author Naomi M. Gruer’s debut picture book, published by Kalaniot Books, follows Miles, a dinosaur-obsessed kid with a Jurassic-sized imagination, as he stomps his way through eight nights of latkes, dreidels, and candle-lighting as a brand-new helpful dinosaur each evening.
It’s a simple hook, and that’s exactly what makes it work so well for its intended audience. Young readers who already love dinosaurs get an immediate way into a holiday story, while the book quietly folds in real Hanukkah traditions, imaginative play, and a gentle lesson about resilience without ever feeling like a lesson at all. It is the kind of picture book that works equally well as a bedtime read and as a classroom story-time pick during the holiday.
What Hear Me Roar! I’m a HANUKKAHsaur is about
Each night of Hanukkah, Miles becomes a different dinosaur suited to the task at hand, flipping latkes, spinning dreidels, and helping light the menorah with the enthusiasm of a whole prehistoric herd. Along the way, things don’t always go according to plan, and the book’s quiet throughline is that Miles learns he can help make things right even when they go sideways, a reassuring message delivered through play rather than a moral delivered through lecture.
The book leans into its premise with clever, dinosaur-flavored wordplay, including a VeLATKEraptor standing in for a Velociraptor, which gives read-aloud sessions a built-in giggle and a reason for kids to ask for the book again. Illustrator Mel Zohar brings Miles’s transformations to life with vibrant, expressive artwork that matches the story’s high energy without ever losing the warmth of the holiday setting underneath it. Each spread doubles as a small vocabulary lesson in both dinosaur names and Hanukkah traditions, which gives grown-ups reading aloud plenty to point at and talk through with younger listeners.
What makes it work
Writing
Gruer’s text moves at exactly the pace a read-aloud needs, with rhythmic, playful language and dinosaur puns that reward repeat readings rather than wearing thin on the third or fourth time through.
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Illustrations
Mel Zohar’s artwork gives each of Miles’s dinosaur transformations its own visual personality, keeping the book visually fresh from one spread to the next while maintaining a consistent, cozy Hanukkah atmosphere throughout.
Character and theme
Miles is drawn as a recognizably real kid, imaginative and a little chaotic, which makes the book’s gentle message about helping fix what goes wrong land naturally rather than feeling tacked on.
Originality
Pairing dinosaurs with Hanukkah is a genuinely fresh angle in a holiday picture book landscape that can otherwise feel familiar, and it gives the book a strong, specific hook that should help it stand out on a shelf.
About the author
Naomi M. Gruer is a freelance writer who has published articles, essays, a column, and a blog, and she has also worked as a Microsoft Guest Educator, participating in World Read Aloud Day with schools in Spain, Canada, and the United States. She is a preschool teacher in New Jersey, where she has raised triplets and a younger daughter, and that classroom experience shows in how naturally the book captures real kid energy. “Right now, there is a need for Jewish joy,” Gruer has said of the book. “This book shows a dino-loving kid enthusiastically celebrating Hanukkah and learning traditions, while embracing his imagination, which is so important for children’s growth and creativity.” Hear Me Roar! I’m a HANUKKAHsaur is her first picture book, and it draws visibly on years spent reading aloud to kids who, in her words, “roared like dinosaurs every day.”
Who should read Hear Me Roar! I’m a HANUKKAHsaur
This is an easy recommendation for families celebrating Hanukkah with kids ages four to seven, especially dinosaur fans who will delight in Miles’s nightly transformations. It also works well as a classroom or library read-aloud during the holiday season, and as an approachable way to introduce young children to Hanukkah traditions like latkes, dreidels, and the menorah through a character they’ll want to copy. Grandparents looking for a fresh addition to a family’s holiday book basket will find this an easy, joyful pick as well.
Where to get it
Hear Me Roar! I’m a HANUKKAHsaur (40 pages, ages 4-7) releases September 29, 2026 at $19.99 and is available for preorder through Kalaniot Books, with wider availability everywhere books are sold.
Verdict
Hear Me Roar! I’m a HANUKKAHsaur pulls off a rare trick for a holiday picture book: it’s genuinely funny, visually lively, and quietly meaningful all at once. Dinosaur-loving families will want this one in their Hanukkah rotation for years to come, pulling it off the shelf not just once but night after night through all eight candles.
Frequently asked questions
No. It is author Naomi M. Gruer's debut picture book and currently stands alone.
It is a children's picture book that blends a Hanukkah holiday story with dinosaur-themed imaginative play.
The book is intended for children ages 4 to 7, making it well suited for preschool and early elementary read-alouds.
It is available for preorder directly from Kalaniot Books and will be sold everywhere books are sold starting September 29, 2026.
Naomi M. Gruer is a freelance writer and preschool teacher based in New Jersey; Hear Me Roar! I'm a HANUKKAHsaur is her debut picture book.
The book's illustrations are by Mel Zohar.
