Books for Jewish Heritage Month

Books for Jewish Heritage Month

May is Jewish Heritage Month, a chance to celebrate Jewish culture and to acknowledge significant Jewish achievements and contributions in North American history. To honor this important month, we’ve created a list of books by Jewish authors or with Jewish themes.

Ages 0-2

Passover Family by Monique Polak

Teach babies and toddlers about this important Jewish festival by exploring what happens during the Passover Seder with this delightful photographic board book.

Ages 3-5

Can Hens Give Milk? by Joan Betty Stuchner and Joe Weissmann

In this old-fashioned folktale that takes place on a small farm in Chelm, a man and his daughter set out to find a way to get milk from their hens.


A Sack Full of Feathers by Debby Waldman and Cindy Revell

In this retelling of a Jewish folktale, Yankel does not realize the harm done by the stories he spreads—at least not until the rabbi teaches him an important (albeit gentle) lesson.


Sitting Shiva by Erin Silver and Michelle Theodore

In this gorgeously illustrated, deeply moving picture book, a young girl learns about the practice of sitting shiva after her mother dies.

Ages 9-12

Miriam’s Secret by Debby Waldman

In this middle-grade novel, Miriam discovers a young girl hiding in the barn while she’s spending Passover at her grandparents’ farm.


Passover by Monique Polak

Enlivened by personal stories, Passover illuminates and celebrates how ancient Jewish traditions are kept alive in the modern world.


Sorry For Your Loss by Joanne Levy

In this complex tale about difference, acceptance and self-confidence, twelve-year-old Evie befriends a boy who is grieving the loss of both his parents while working in her family’s Jewish funeral home.


The Sun Will Come Out by Joanne Levy

In this relatable coming-of-age novel, painfully shy Beatrice Gelman ends up at Camp Shalom all by herself after her best friend bows out.

Ages 12+

Stones on a Grave by Kathy Kacer

In this YA novel, Sara, who has lived in an orphanage all her life, travels to Germany to explore her newly discovered Jewish heritage and solve the mystery of her parentage.


What World is Left by Monique Polak

In this novel for teen readers, a Dutch Jewish teenager is sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp with her family. What World is Left was inspired by the experiences of the author’s mother, who was imprisoned in Theresienstadt during World War II.

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