Books for Kids: Jewish American Heritage Month

May is Jewish Heritage Month. Check out some of these titles to celebrate throughout the month!

Updated April 26, 2023
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Tía Fortuna's new home
Behar, Ruth
Paper Book
A poignant multicultural ode to family and what it means to create a home as one girl helps her Tia move away from her beloved Miami apartment. When Estrella's Tia Fortuna has to say goodbye to her longtime Miami apartment building, The Seaway, to move to an assisted living...
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...
How to find what you're not looking for
Hiranandani, Veera
Paper Book
New historical fiction from a Newbery Honor-winning author about how middle schooler Ariel Goldberg's life changes when her big sister elopes following the 1967 Loving v. Virginia decision, and she's forced to grapple with both her family's prejudice and the antisemitism she experiences,...
A ceiling made of eggshells
Levine, Gail Carson
Paper Book
In A Ceiling Made of Eggshells, Newbery Honor-winning author Gail Carson Levine tells a moving and ambitious story set during the expulsion of Jews from Spain, about a young Jewish girl full of heart who must play her own role in her people's epic history--no matter the sacrifice.<...
I dissent : Ruth Bader Ginsburg makes her mark
Levy, Debbie
Paper Book
Get to know celebrated Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg--in the first picture book about her life--as she proves that disagreeing does not make you disagreeable! Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has spent a lifetime disagreeing: disagreeing with inequality,...
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...
Chunky goes to camp
Mercado, Yehudi
Paper Book
In Yehudi Mercado's full-color middle grade graphic memoir sequel to Chunky, Hudi and his imaginary friend, Chunky, head to Jewish summer camp, where the dynamic duo meet a new friend who can see Chunky, too, and get mixed up in a prank war. This series is perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier and...
The woman who split the atom : Lise Meitner
Moss, Marissa
Paper Book
As a female Jewish physicist in Berlin during the early 20th century, Lise Meitner had to fight for an education, a job, and equal treatment in her field, like having her name listed on her own research papers. Meitner made groundbreaking strides in the study of radiation, but when...
The very best sukkah : a story from Uganda
Nambi, Shoshana
Paper Book
Sukkot is Shoshi's favorite Jewish holiday. She and her brothers love to decorate their sukkah, the hut where her family will celebrate. But who will win the Ugandan Abayudaya community's annual sukkah contest? While only one sukkah can be the best, everybody wins when neighbors work together.<...
Gittel's journey : an Ellis Island story
Newman, Lesle a
Paper Book
Gittel's Journey: An Ellis Island Story is an award-winning picture book from author Lesléa Newman and illustrator Amy Bates. Gittel and her mother were supposed to immigrate to America together, but when her mother is stopped by the health...
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...
Nicky & Vera : a quiet hero of the Holocaust and the children he rescued
Si?s, Peter
Paper Book
In December 1938, a young Englishman canceled a ski vacation and went instead to Prague to help the hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Nazis who were crowded into the city. Setting up a makeshift headquarters in his hotel room, Nicholas Winton took names and photographs from parents...
Raquela's seder
Stein, Joel Edward
Paper Book
Raquela yearns to celebrate a Passover seder, but Inquisition-era Spain is a time when Jews must hide their religion. Under the rising moon, her clever papa, the best fisherman in town, creates a unique celebration for his family. In his fishing boat on the sea, far from prying eyes, they...

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