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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Lucky broken girl
Behar, Ruth
Paper Book
Winner of the 2018 Pura Belpre Award! "A book for anyone mending from childhood wounds."--Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street   In this unforgettable multicultural coming-of-age narrative--based on the author's childhood in the 1960s--a...
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...
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...
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.<...
The people's painter : how Ben Shahn fought for justice with art
Levinson, Cynthia
Paper Book
A lyrically told, exquisitely illustrated biography of influential Jewish artist and activist Ben Shahn "The first thing I can remember," Ben said, "I drew." As an observant child growing up in Lithuania, Ben Shahn yearns to draw everything he sees-and,...
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,...
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...
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-Jewish family...
Gittel's journey : an Ellis Island story
Newman, LeslďĹ˝ea
Paper Book
Both a heart-wrenching and heartwarming story, Gittel's Journey offers a fresh perspective on the immigration journey. Gittel and her mother were supposed to immigrate to America together, but when her mother is stopped by the health inspector,...
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....
Not your all-American girl
Rosenberg, Madelyn
Paper Book
A multicultural story full of heart and hilarity about what it means to be all-American.Lauren and her best friend, Tara, have always done absolutely everything together. So when they don't have any classes together in sixth grade, it's disastrous. The solution? Trying out for the school play....
The museum of lost and found
Sales, Leila
Paper Book
Award-winning author Leila Sales's The Museum of Lost and Found is a warm, relatable middle-grade story about a friendship falling apart and the abandoned museum that becomes a shrine to lost connections--featuring black-and-white illustrations by Jacqueline Li.
Ellen outside the lines
Sass, A. J.
Paper Book
Winner of a Sydney Taylor Book Award Honor! A heartfelt novel about a neurodivergent thirteen-year-old navigating changing friendships, a school trip, and expanding horizons for fans of Rain Reign and Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World. ...
Klezmer!
Teis, Kyra
Paper Book
When Eastern European Jewish immigrants bring their klezmer music with them to America, it takes on a rockin' new vibe, adding elements of Jazz borrowed from its new country. In the beautifully illustrated Klezmer!, a child makes an exciting music-filled visit to her grandparents' apartment in...

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