Hear Me Roar! I’m A Hanukkahsaur Book Tour

This post is sponsored by Naomi Gruer. The review and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal views. 

Hear Me Roar! I’m a Hanukkahsaur

• 1. What gave you the idea of combining dinosaurs and Hanukkah? I’m a preschool teacher, and I had a class of kids who pretended to be dinosaurs. When one of the preschoolers wore a sweatshirt with a “Menorah-saur,” a dinosaur with Hanukkah candles instead of spikes, the seed was planted.

• 2.  Miles has a wonderful imagination, but is also messy.  Do you think the two often go together? In my experience, when kids believe they are what they imagine to be, they bring energy into playtime. The “mess” is in the setting up of and existing in that imaginary world. 

• 3.  Did you pattern Miles after yourself or a little child you know? Miles is a combo of my preschool kiddos who didn’t just pretend to be dinosaurs–they roared all day! 

• 4.  You picked a perfect illustrator.  What was the goal of the type of illustrations you wanted? Credit to picking the illustrator goes to my editor at Kalaniot, Lili Rosenstreich. She liked the way Mel Zohar framed scenes on a page, illustrated kids’ expressions, and showed diversity amongst Miles’ friends. 

• 5.  A messy little boy is portrayed as having a supportive family.  Were you also lucky to have a supportive family, and how did it influence your teaching and writing? I wasn’t a patient person until I had triplets and, later, another daughter!  I learned how to be patient (most of the time) and model that messes happen, but we could work together to clean up. When things didn’t go exactly as planned, we’d discuss how it made us feel. Building resilience is a theme of my parenting and teaching, and it starts when we’re young.

Image is an example of how Mel Zohar framed scenes.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Hear Me Roar! I’m a HANUKKAHsaur

Written by Naomi Gruer

Illustrated by Mel Zohar

Ages: 4-8 | 32 Pages

Publisher: Kalaniot (2026) | ISBN-13: 978-1-962011-19-8

Publisher’s Book Summary: Miles is a dinosaur expert with a colossal imagination. When Hanukkah begins, he stomps into action as a whole herd of helpful dinosaurs. Each night, Miles becomes a new Dino—flipping latkes, spinning dreidels, and lighting the menorah—learning that even when things go wrong, he can help make them right. Packed with clever wordplay, Jewish traditions, and irresistible dinosaur energy, HANUKKAHsaur celebrates family, perseverance, and the belief that Dinos can do it!

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Naomi Gruer is a freelance writer who has published articles, essays, a column, and a blog. As a Microsoft Guest Educator, she’s participated in World Read Aloud Day by Skyping with schools in Spain, Canada, and the U.S. She’s a preschool teacher in New Jersey, where she’s raised triplets and a younger daughter. This is her first picture book.

Website | X | Instagram | Facebook

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Mel Zohar is an illustrator and visual storyteller based in Rome, Italy. She is passionate about projects featuring expressive characters, inclusive stories, and lots of humor—because she believes there’s nothing better than making kids laugh!

TOUR SCHEDULE

GIVEAWAY

Celebrate all eight nights of Hanukkah with a roaring good giveaway! Readers who follow along on this virtual book tour will have the chance to win one of eight prize packs, each including a signed hardcover copy of Hear Me Roar! I’m a HANUKKAHsaur by Naomi Gruer and a bookmark featuring a fun Dino Hunt game. Each winner will also receive a goodie bag filled with a small toy dinosaur, wooden dreidel, and gelt, plus a handmade plush pillow featuring soft turquoise fleece and custom fabric decorated with dinosaurs from the book’s endpapers.

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