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
LINCC (Libraries in Clackamas County)Oregon City Public Library
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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)

The book rescuer : how a mensch from Massachusetts saved Yiddish literature for generations to come
Macy, Sue
Paper Book
Recipient of a Sydney Taylor Book Award for Younger Readers An ALA Notable Book A Bank Street Best Book of the Year "Text and illustration meld beautifully." --The New York Times "Stunning."​ --Kirkus Reviews (starred...

A biography of the founder of the Yiddish Book Center, which has rescued over 1.5 million Yiddish books and preserved them for future generations. (Children's Nonfiction Age 4-8)

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)

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)

Hereville : how Mirka got her sword
Deutsch, Barry.
Paper Book
Spunky, strong-willed eleven-year-old Mirka Herschberg isn't interested in knitting lessons from her stepmother, or how-to-find-a-husband advice from her sister, or you-better-not warnings from her brother. There's only one thing she does want: to fight dragons! Granted, no...

A spunky young girl faces down a monster to earn her sword in this graphic novel set in an Orthodox Jewish community. (Children's Graphic Novels Grades 3-5)

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)

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. It's the year of Will...

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)

Chunky
Mercado, Yehudi
Paper Book
In this full-color middle grade graphic memoir for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Jerry Craft, Yehudi Mercado draws inspiration from his childhood struggle with his weight while finding friendship with his imaginary mascot, Chunky, as he navigates growing up in a working class Mexican...

A graphic novel memoir starring a Mexican Jewish teen whose dreams of pursuing a comedy career on SNL are hampered by a medical condition that requires him to find a sport to maintain his physical health. (Young Teen Graphic Novel Grades 5-7)


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