Best Children's Jewish Books

This sturdy board book introduces toddlers to the traditions of the Jewish Festival of Lights and even teaches them how to play dreidel themselves! Naomi Kleinberg is a children’s book editor and the author of many children’s books.

As Shmelf observes a family lighting the menorah, playing dreidel, and hearing the Hanukkah story, he sees how special the traditions of the holiday truly are-and he wants to be a part of it! PreS-Gr 1—If you have Jewish children worrying about why they don't get Christmas presents even though they've been good, they can thank new elf Shmelf for raising the question with Santa. " Santa, happy that Shmelf cares for Jewish children, decks him out in a blue and white outfit and sends him out with a Jewish reindeer to ensure a good holiday for eight nights in December (some years in November).

Little does either of them know that Simon will spend the first night of Hanukkah on an ice floe after his ship sinks.The lone survivor out in the wide ocean, Simon lights the first candle, and it attracts a visitor: a polar bear. She shares his latkes, enjoys his songs, goes fishing for him, and even keeps him warm at night. K-Gr 2—Combining elements of the classic immigrant tale with magical realism and a dash of Titanic, this story follows young Simon as he leaves his family behind in the old country, sailing on a ship to America. On the last night of Hanukkah, Simon lights the last of his candles, shares his last latke with the bear, and hopes for one more miracle, which arrives in the form of a rescue boat, sent from a passing ship that has seen his fully lit menorah. The icy dark night is masterfully depicted in a watercolor palette of rich blues punctured by brilliant stars and the warm glow of the candles. The iceberg is given substance and depth by the use of what appears to be folded paper that has been crumpled and painted, while the hefty figure of the polar bear is worked in gouache softened with pastel. "In the most imaginative Hanukkah book this season, Kimmel (Gershon's Monster) peoples an old-world town with mischievous demons, easily alarmed villagers and a wise and crafty rabbi.

Forget the bunny trail.…In this addition to the groundbreaking series from the legendary William Joyce, Guardian E. Astor Bunnymund is on the warpath. This second book in The Guardians series is about much more than fixing a few rotten eggs—it brings the Guardians one step closer to defeating Pitch! E. ASTER BUNNYMUND AND THE WARRIOR EGGS AT THE EARTH'S CORE. Author: Joyce, William. Illustrator: Joyce, William. A long-eared guardian with a corps of fierce, chocolate warriors helps to rescue the kidnapped children of Santoff Claussen village in this sequel to Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King (2011). When Pitch, the Nightmare King, sweeps all of the village’s children away to his lair at the Earth’s center, Cossack/mage Nicholas and his intrepid sidekick Katherine hie off to (where else?). There they solicit aid in their recovery from Bunnymund, last of the ageless Pookan Brotherhood and keeper of the second of the five Relics that must be gathered to ensure Pitch’s final defeat. Standing tall in designer shades and richly patterned robes, the “very egg-centric” but powerful lagomorph (inventor of Spring, jokes, chocolate and Australia) hops to. As in the previous episode, Joyce mines common European cultural motifs and lays clever twists and resonances on the result, for a tale as stylized and baroque as the occasional illustrations. Gr 4-6–Joyce weaves together imaginary beings, fictional characters, and references to real geographic places to create his fantasy world. He uses milk from an “intergalactic bovine creature that on occasion jumps over the Moon” or another chocolate concoction of “marshmallow made from the whipped eggs of Asian peacocks.” Still another chocolate is made with “cacao leaves that grow in the dark center of the great caves of Calcutta; it contains a pinch of mint from the ice caps of Mars.” Not only can he make delicious treats, but he can also travel through space and help the Guardians as they battle The Nightmare King. William Joyce does a lot of stuff but children’s books are his true bailiwick ( The Numberlys , Rolie Polie Olie , Dinosaur Bob , George Shrinks , and the #1 New York Times bestselling The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore , which is also his Academy Award–winning short film, to name a few).

In an African village live seven brothers who make family life miserable with their constant fighting. This latest title is an original folktale that will help introduce children to the holiday's seven principles, while also suggesting how Kente cloth was first created. Working together, the brothers create a tapestry of Kente cloth, the first multicolored cloth the village has seen, which they sell to the king's treasurer for gold, before returning to their village to farm and live harmoniously.

This sturdy board book introduces toddlers to the traditions of the Jewish Festival of Lights and even teaches them how to play dreidel themselves! Naomi Kleinberg is a children’s book editor and the author of many children’s books.

This charming tale of an overgrown pine always being passed by for Christmas, and what his woodland friends do to help him, is sure to become a Christmas classic. Award-winning wildlife artist Michael Glenn Monroe began his career at a very young age.

His mom thinks video games are turning his brain to mush, so she wants her son to put down the controller and explore his “creative side.”. As if that’s not scary enough, Halloween’s just around the corner and the frights are coming at Greg from every angle. Jeff Kinneyis a #1 "New York Times" bestselling author and six-time Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award winner for Favorite Book.

This hysterical collection includes 4 Junie B. favorites— Junie B. Jones and the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake (JBJ #5), Junie B. Jones and That Meanie Jim's Birthday (JBJ #6), Junie B. Jones Loves Handsome Warren (JBJ #7), and Junie B. Jones Has a Monster Under Her Bed (JBJ #8). BARBARA PARK (1947–2013) is beloved by millions as the author of the wildly popular Junie B. Jones series.

Turkey is in trouble. The kind of trouble where it's almost Thanksgiving . He ties a brush on the back of his head and wears a tiny saddle because surely no one would eat a horse for dinner. When he hears Farmer Jake tell his wife that if they can't find the turkey, maybe they should eat the rooster for dinner, the protagonist comes up with the perfect ruse. A first choice for holiday collections.— Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME END "Stuffed with clever wordplay, groanable puns, and easy-to-ham-it-up animal sounds, the chuckle-inducing narrative makes a crowd-pleasing read-aloud.

This hysterical collection includes 4 Junie B. favorites— Junie B. Jones and the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake (JBJ #5), Junie B. Jones and That Meanie Jim's Birthday (JBJ #6), Junie B. Jones Loves Handsome Warren (JBJ #7), and Junie B. Jones Has a Monster Under Her Bed (JBJ #8). BARBARA PARK (1947–2013) is beloved by millions as the author of the wildly popular Junie B. Jones series.