Children's Book Suggestions | Jewish American Heritage Month

Celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month with these books about Jewish kids of all ages! More books about Jewish characters can be found in our online catalog.

For books about specific Jewish holidays, check out our Holiday books. Hanukkah has its own section and the rest are in the general Holiday section under 296.

For readers looking for books about the Holocaust, browse books about the Holocaust in the online catalog or check out 940.5318 in the Children's Nonfiction section.

Updated February 15, 2024
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The Mexican dreidel
Marshall, Linda Elovitz
Paper Book
Danielito loves Janucá, especially playing dreidel. This year, he is old enough to visit Bobe by himself. Piñatas hang from the trees, and the kids in Bobe's neighborhood play with Mexican tops called trompos. Danielito does not have a trompo, but he has a dreidel. "What is that?" "¿Qué es eso?"...
A Jewish boy celebrates Hanukkah in Mexico by showing his friends, who love to play with Mexican tops called trompos, how to play dreidel. (Holiday Picture Book Age 4-8)
Challah day!
Offsay, Charlotte
Paper Book
"An oasis of Jewish joy." --School Library Journal Baked with love! A family mixes, kneads, braids, and bakes bread for dinner with Grandma and Grandpa in this joyful, rhyming story. Inspired by memories author Charlotte Offsay and illustrator Jason Kirschner...

A family preparing for an unspecified Jewish holiday demonstrates the process of making challah from start to finish. (Picture Book Age 4-8)

Dear Mr. Dickens
Churnin, Nancy
Paper Book
2021 National Jewish Book Award Winner - Children's Picture Book 2022 Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor for Picture Books Chicago Public Library Best Informational Books for Younger Readers 2021 The Best Jewish Children's Books of...

The true story of Eliza Davis, a 19th century Jewish woman, convinced the popular novelist Charles Dickens to discontinue Jewish stereotypes and include positive portrayals of British Jews in his books. (Children's Nonfiction Age 4-8)

The language of angels : a story about the reinvention of Hebrew
Michelson, Richard
Paper Book
In 1885, few Jews in Israel used the holy language of their ancestors, and Hebrew was in danger of being lost-until Ben Zion and his father got involved. Through the help of his father and a community of children, Ben modernized the ancient language, creating a lexicon of new, modern words to bring...

The story of a father-son team of linguists who found a way to modernize Hebrew and transform it from a language spoken only by scholars to a language spoken by everyday people. (Children's Nonfiction Age 4-8)

A sky full of song
Meyer, Susan
Paper Book
This heartwarming, beautifully written middle-grade historicalnovel about an untold American frontier story is destined to be a cherished classic.    North Dakota, 1905   After fleeing persecution in the Russian Empire,...

Fleeing persecution in the Russian Empire, a Ukrainian Jewish family settles on the prairie in turn of the century North Dakota. A great option for fans of the Little House on the Prairie books looking for more stories about the Pioneer Era. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

No vacancy
Cohen, Tziporah
Paper Book
With the help of her Catholic friend, an eleven-year-old Jewish girl creates a provocative local tourist attraction to save her family's failing motel. Buying and moving into the run-down Jewel Motor Inn in upstate New York wasn't eleven-year-old Miriam Brockman's dream, but at least it's...

A Jewish girl teams up with a Catholic neighbor to save her family's dilapidated motel. A great readalike for Front Desk fans looking for more motel stories. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Shira & Esther's double dream debut
Jordan, Anna E.
Paper Book
A 2023 Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2023  "This book is pure magic."--Maulik Pancholy, actor and Stonewall Honor-winning author  The switcheroo fun of The Parent Trap meets the showbiz spirit of The...

A Parent Trap style story in which a pair of remarkably similar girls switch places, so one can pursue her acting dreams and the other can study the Torah in their 1940s Jewish resort community. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Black bird, blue road
Pasternack, Sofiya
Paper Book
In this historical fantasy novel, praised as a "rich, omen-filled journey that powerfully shows love and its limits*" and "propulsive, wise, and heartbreaking,"** Ziva will do anything to save her twin brother Pesah from his illness--even facing the Angel of Death himself. From Sydney...

A girls is determined to save her brother, who has leprosy, from the Angel of Death in this fantasy story inspired by medieval central Asian Jewish communities. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Honey and me
Drazin, Meira
Paper Book
Fans of Judy Blume, The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, and The Penderwicks will love this funny, charismatic story of a Jewish girl striving to forge her own identity in the shadow of her fearless best friend. **A 2023 Sydney Taylor Award Honor Book!** **A...

BFFs find their friendship tested when they start sixth grade at the same school for the first time. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

A place at the table
Faruqi, Saadia
Paper Book
A timely, accessible, and beautifully written story exploring themes of food, friendship, family and what it means to belong, featuring sixth graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a white, Jewish girl taking a South Asian cooking class taught by Sara's mom. Sixth graders Sara...

A South Asian cooking class brings Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a white Jewish girl together who overcome their differences to create a British-Pakistani fusion cuisine for a cooking competition. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

The many mysteries of the Finkel family
Kapit, Sarah
Paper Book
Fans of the Penderwicks and the Vanderbeekers, meet the Finkel family in this middle grade novel about two autistic sisters, their detective agency, and life's most consequential mysteries. When twelve-year-old Lara Finkel starts her very own detective agency, FIASCCO (Finkel...
A pair of Jewish, autistic sisters launch a detective agency as they navigate middle school and difficult family dynamics. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)
Linked
Korman, Gordon
Paper Book
An unforgettable novel from the New York Times bestselling Gordon Korman. Link, Michael, and Dana live in a quiet town. But it's woken up very quickly when someone sneaks into school and vandalizes it with a swastika. Nobody can believe it. How could such a symbol of hate end up in the...

Told in three different voices, a group of middle schoolers try to unravel the mystery of anti-Semitic vandalism that appears on school property. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Sorry for your loss
Levy, Joanne
Paper Book
★ "A heartfelt and expertly written tale of loss, family, and friendship that will have readers blinking back their tears...Beautiful and sincere."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review Evie Walman is not obsessed with death. She does think about it a lot, though, but only because her...

A solitary girl whose family owns a Jewish funeral parlor befriends a boy grieving a difficult loss. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Becoming Brianna
Libenson, Terri
Paper Book
New York Times bestseller! Terri Libenson returns with another endearing, relatable story of friendship and finding confidence. Perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Jennifer L. Holm. Middle school is full of challenges. Everyone knows how much brainy Bri likes the spotlight (not...

A girl who prefers not to be the center of attention navigates school and family challenges when her mom pushes her into a Bat Mitvah she isn't totally ready for. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Recipe for disaster
Lucido, Aimee
Paper Book
In this heartfelt middle school drama, Hannah's schemes for throwing her own bat mitzvah unleash family secrets, create rivalries with best friends, and ultimately teach Hannah what being Jewish is all about. With a delicious mix of prose, poetry, and...

A Jewish middle schooler raised by a secular mom and Catholic dad decides to have a bat mitzvah as a way to learn more about Jewish culture and heritage. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

The dubious pranks of Shaindy Goodman
Lowe, Mari
Paper Book
SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARD WINNER NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD WINNER Kirkus Top 10 Middle Grade for Fall '23 SHAINDY is a twelve-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl who struggles in school and has no good friends. She watches with...

A lonely Orthodox Jewish girl gets drawn into a series of nasty pranks by popular neighbor Gayil and must decide how to make amends as Yom Kippur approaches. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Ring of Solomon
Polydoros, Aden
Paper Book
"Will keep you on the edge of your seat and grinning until the last page!" --Greg Howard, author of The Whispers and The Visitors This exciting and adventurous start to a middle-grade trilogy follows a queer boy and his family as they try to halt the chaotic...

An epic fantasy adventure starring a queer Jewish teen boy who summons a demon from Jewish mythology to help him deal with bullies at school. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

All-of-a-kind family
Taylor, Sydney
Paper Book
Meet the All-of-a-Kindnbsp;nbsp;Family -- Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte, and Gertie -- who live with their parents in New York City at the turn of the century. Together they share adventures that find them searching for hidden buttons while dusting Mama's front parlor and visiting with...

The OG Jewish classic featuring a Jewish family growing up in turn-of-the-century New York City. (Children's Fiction Grades 3-5)

Turtle boy
Wolkenstein, M. Evan
Paper Book
SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARD WINNER   A boy who has spent his life living inside a shell discovers the importance of taking chance in this "winner" (Booklist, starred review) of a friendship story that's perfect for fans of Wonder. Seventh grade is not...

A bar mitzvah volunteer project to befriend a terminally ill peer helps a shy middle schooler with a medical condition that causes a receding chin come out of his shell and process some long-buried grief. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

The witch of Woodland
Snyder, Laurel
Paper Book
A young girl preparing for her bat mitzvah discovers she has mysterious abilities in this magical contemporary coming-of-age story from the beloved author of Orphan Island. Hi, whoever is reading this. I'm Zipporah Chava McConnell, but everyone calls me Zippy. Things used to be...

A girl who defines herself as a "part time Jew" learns more about her heritage when she develops magical powers while preparing for her bat mitzvah. (Young Teen Fiction Grades 5-7)

Two tribes
Bowen Cohen, Emily
Paper Book
In her poignant debut graphic novel inspired by her own life, Emily Bowen Cohen embraces the complexity, meaning, and deep love that comes from being part of two vibrant tribes. Mia is still getting used to living with her mom and stepfather, and to the new role their Jewish identity plays...

A Jewish/Muscogee teen embraces both sides of her heritage when she runs off to Oklahoma to learn more about her dad's Indigenous side of the family. (Young Teen Graphic Novel Grades 5-7)


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