Children's Book Suggestions | Jewish American Heritage Month 2025

A few of our favorite books about Jewish American past and present published in 2024. For more book ideas, check out our Jewish American Heritage Month 2024 lists or browse the library catalog. Books about Jewish holidays can be found in the general holiday section under 296 or in the Hanukkah section. Books about the Holocaust can be found in nonfiction in 940.5318.

More great books are honored annually with the Sydney Taylor Book Award.

Updated April 17, 2025
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Joyful song : a naming story
Newman, Lesléa
Paper Book
From the beloved pathbreaking author of Heather Has Two Mommies, comes a vibrant ode to family and community What a happy day! Zachary's baby sister will have her naming ceremony. In the temple! With his moms, the congregation, and all their...

Picture Book (Age 4-8)

The truth about the Tooth Fairy
Cypess, Leah
Paper Book
A charming new chapter book series about a young Orthodox Jewish girl out to discover the truth about all the magical mysteries in her world, perfect for fans of Marya Khan and Zoey and Sassafras Miriam is the youngest in her family, and she is tired of being treated like the...

Bridging Fiction (Grades 2-4)

Rachel Friedman breaks the rules
Kapit, Sarah
Paper Book
Introducing a charming chapter book series starring Rachel Friedman, a sweet and silly Jewish girl renowned for her peanut butter challah baking skills and larger-than-life personality! Rachel loves being Jewish, but she hates following the rules at synagogue--and everywhere...

Bridging Fiction (Grades 2-4)

On all other nights : a Passover celebration in 14 stories
Baron, Chris
Paper Book
On All Other Nights is a joyful middle-grade anthology centered around Passover--from an exciting array of bestselling and award-winning Jewish creators! Welcome to Passover, a Jewish holiday that has been celebrated for thousands of years. The heart of Passover...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Max in the house of spies
Gidwitz, Adam
Paper Book
An acclaimed Best Book of 2024! Instant New York Times bestseller . Wall Street Journal Best Books of the Year . Booklist Editors' Choice . Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year . School Library Journal Best Books of the Year . Common Sense Best Books...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

When we flew away : a novel of Anne Frank, before the diary
Hoffman, Alice
Paper Book
Bestselling author Alice Hoffman delivers a stunning novel about one of contemporary history's most acclaimed figures, exploring the little-known details of Anne Frank's life before she went into hiding. Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl has captivated and inspired readers for...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Tale of the flying forest
Romero, R. M.
Paper Book
After her mother passes away and her father retreats into his grief, 11-year-old Anne Applebaum is afraid the only happy endings she'll ever have are in The World to Come, a collection of fairy tales about the flying forest of Bei Ilai. In its pages, children outsmart demons, girls train...

Children's Fiction (Grades 3-5)

Mendel the mess-up
LaBan, Terry
Paper Book
Cursed from birth, Mendel Schlotz is the unluckiest kid in his village. He's also the only one who can save it. Ask anyone--twelve-year-old Mendel can't do anything right. When he tries to herd goats, they get out. When he tries to chop wood, he breaks the ax. It's...

Children's Graphic Novels (Grades 3-5)

Ain't it funny
Gurevich, Margaret
Paper Book
For fans of Stand Up, Yumi Chung! and The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl comes an honest and heartfelt novel about a girl who's determined not to let her growing anxiety and OCD hold her back from using stand-up comedy to bring her parents back together. ...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Right Back at You
Mackler, Carolyn
Ebook

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Benji Zeb is a ravenous werewolf
Moulton, Deke
Paper Book
Benji Zeb has to balance preparing for his bar mitzvah, his feelings for a school bully, and being a werewolf in this heartfelt, coming-of-age novel for middle-grade readers. For fans of Don't Want to Be Your Monster and Too Bright to See. Benji Zeb has a lot going...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

Uprising
Nielsen, Jennifer A.
Paper Book
#1 New York Times bestselling author of Iceberg, Jennifer A. Nielsen inspires readers with a brand-new thriller based on the remarkable true story of a young Polish girl who bravely fought, participating in the Warsaw city uprising, and took a stand in the name of freedom.<...

Young Teen Fiction (Grades 5-7)

The girl who sang : a Holocaust memoir of hope and survival
Nadel, Estelle
Paper Book
A heartrending graphic memoir about a young Jewish girl's fight for survival in Nazi occupied Poland, The Girl Who Sang illustrates the power of a brother's love, the kindness of strangers, and finding hope when facing the unimaginable. Born to a Jewish family in a...

Young Teen Graphic Novel (Grades 5-7)

What Jewish looks like
Kleinrock, Liz
Paper Book
Compiled by educator and author Liz Kleinrock and author Caroline Kusin Pritchard, this powerful intersectional anthology celebrates thirty-six Jewish heroes--from Tracee Ellis Ross and Victor "Young" Perez to Doña Gracia Nasi. A first-ever collection...

Children's Nonfiction (Age 8-12)

The keeper of stories
Pritchard, Caroline Kusin
Paper Book
A Sydney Taylor Book Award Picture Book Honor Three starred reviews! In this "poignant" (Booklist, starred review) and uplifting true story of community, a neighborhood comes together in the wake of a library fire to save the stories within, offering...

Children's Nonfiction (Age 4-8)

Uri and the king of darkness : a Hanukkah story
Bait, Nati
Paper Book
Uri and the King of Darkness: A Hanukkah Story is a captivating children's book that blends the magic of Hanukkah with a tale of bravery and imagination It's the first night of Hanukkah and Uri's dad is still not home. "What happened to Dad? Is he caught in the fray?...

Holiday Book (Age 4-8)

On a chariot of fire : the story of India's Bene Israel
Lyons, Erica
Paper Book
Learn the other side of the Hanukkah story, A Chariot of Fire follows the Bene Israel community, as they flee Israel to find a new home in India. Two thousand years ago, a ship sailed east, alone on an endless sea. The people onboard were fleeing the same...

Holiday Book (Age 4-8)

The night before Passover
Wing, Natasha
Paper Book
Celebrate Passover with this festive addition to Natasha Wing's best-selling series! It's the night before Passover, and a little girl is excited to spend it with her family. They read the Haggadah to honor their history, eat matzoh, ask the Four Questions, and more! Celebrate...

Holiday Book (Age 4-8)


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