Kids Books for Jewish American Heritage Month

Updated June 8, 2026
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Amazing Abe : how Abraham Cahan's newspaper gave a voice to Jewish immigrants
Finkelstein, Norman H.
Paper Book
A Sydney Taylor Honor Book A loving tribute to a towering figure in Jewish American history from two award-winning creators. Two-time National Jewish Book Award winner Norman H. Finkelstein and Sydney Taylor Award winner Vesper Stamper have teamed up to tell the...
Beinoni
Lowe, Mari
Paper Book
In a Beinoni time there should be no war, no terrible illness, no crime. Even if that also means there won't be any great discoveries, any cures, anything extraordinary. Ezra believes that's worth fighting for. In fact, he's been training most of his life to fight a...
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...
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...
I dissent : Ruth Bader Ginsburg made 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,...
An etrog from across the sea
Olitzky, Kerry M.
Praise for An Etrog from Across the Sea by Deborah Bodin Cohen and Kerry Olitzky, illustrated by Stacey Dressen McQueen: Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner Papa has promised to bring home a perfect etrog for Sukkot from his journey across the sea. Leah and Aaron go to the docks every...
Finn and Ezra's bar mitzvah time loop
Levy, Joshua
Paper Book
Finn and Ezra's bar mitzvah weekend takes on a Groundhog Day twist in this hilarious and magical middle grade novel from Joshua S. Levy. Winner of a National Jewish Book Award and a Sydney Taylor Honor Book! Finn and Ezra don't have a lot in common--except, of course, that they're trapped...
Gittel's journey : an Ellis Island story
Newman, Lesléa
Paper Book
A 2020 Sydney Taylor Honor Book! A 2019 National Jewish Book Award Winner! Gittel and her mother were supposed to immigrate to America together, but when her mother is stopped by the health inspector, Gittel must make the journey alone. Her mother writes her cousin's...
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 dragons...
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...
Just shy of ordinary
Sass, A. J.
Paper Book
In this heartfelt novel about family, friendship, and identity perfect for fans of The List of Things That Will Not Change and Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World, a thirteen-year-old nonbinary kid discovers that life doesn't always go according to plan--especially when they start...
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...
Lucky broken girl
Behar, Ruth
Paper Book
An unforgettable coming-of-age novel following a young Cuban-Jewish immigrant girl in 1960s New York City who must overcome the sudden derailment of her American Dream. WINNER OF THE PURA BELPRE AWARD * A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST MIDDLE GRADE BOOK OF THE CENTURY "A...
Neshama
Pixley, Marcella
Paper Book
An Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Award Winner! "A mesmerizing meditation on family, forgiveness, and the freedom to be found in embracing one's truest self." --Booklist (starred review) A bullied girl who communicates with ghosts finds her...
One small spark : a Tikkun Olam story
Spiro, Ruth
Paper Book
Imagine the world you want to live in. If it's not the world you see, will you create it? So begins a young girl's journey to solve a problem she notices one rainy day while walking to school. In that moment, the small spark inside her grows and then connects her to others who...
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...
Remember my story : a girl, a Holocaust survivor, and a friendship that made history
Sarnowski, Claire
Paper Book
Told through "moments of despair, heartbreak, laughter, and triumph" (Kirkus), this "inspiring" (Booklist) and "hopeful" (School Library Journal) memoir tells the true story of how a modern teen girl and her Holocaust-survivor friend fought against hate to create change. ...
The trouble with secrets
Milliner, Naomi
Paper Book
A Jewish girl preparing for her upcoming bat mitzvah tries to keep a secret--along with one of her sister's--in this beautiful coming-of-age contemporary novel that explores change, grief, and the complexities of sibling relationships. A Sydney Taylor Notable Book! Twelve-year-old...
The two wrong halves of Ruby Taylor
Panitch, Amanda
Paper Book
Funny and poignant, Amanda Panitch's new middle-grade novel The Two Wrong Halves of Ruby Taylor is an exploration of mixed families, identity, hundred-year-old curses, and the terrifying challenge of standing up for yourself against your loved ones. Of her...

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