Chaim Kosofsky (Iraq)

How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz (

written by Jennifer Berne, illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky

Ketzel the Cat Who Composed by Leslea Newman, illustrated by Amy June Bates

Here is the World by Leslea Newman, illustrated by Susan Gall

When I First Held You: A Lullaby from Israel by Mirik Snir, illustrated by Eleyor Snir



Finally, Weingrad holds up Shmelf the Hanukkah Elf by Greg Wolfe as an example of how low things have sunk. I agree with his opinion of that particular title (see my



PICTURE BOOKS

I Have a Little Dreidel written and illustrated by Maxie Baum

Hanukkah in Alaska by Barbara Brown

Hanukkah Moon by Deborah da Costa

Celebrate Hanukkah with Light, Latkes, and Dreidels by Deborah Heiligman

Menorah Under the Sea by Esther Susan Heller

Latkes Latkes Good to Eat by Naomi Howland

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric Kimmel

Simon and the Bear by Eric Kimmel

How Mindy Saved Hanukkah by Eric Kimmel

A Letter on the Wind by Sarah Marwil Lamstein

Hanukkah Around the World by Tami Lehman-Wilzig

Jodie's Hanukkah Dig by Anna Levine

The Miracle Jar by Audrey Penn

Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah by Susan L. Roth

Oskar and the Eight Blessings by Tanya Simon



CHAPTER BOOKS

Dreidels on the Brain by Joel Ben Izzy

Like a Maccabee by Barbara Bietz

Alexandra's Scroll by Miriam Chaikin

Hanukkah, Shmanukkah by Esme Raji Codell

Sam I Am by Ilene Cooper

The Golden Dreydl by Ellen Kushner

The Magic Menorah by Jane Breskin Zalben



Conclusion



Just a few years ago, the Skirball Cultural Center of Los Angeles and the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA collaborated on an exhibit,



Want to see it grow even further? Support the market by borrowing Jewish books from your library, and buying Jewish books for yourself, your family, and your friends. Spread the word about great Jewish books by taking part in



Happy Hanukkah and Happy Reading!

Heidi Rabinowitz





AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Why listen to me? I've been professionally immersed in Jewish kidlit for eighteen years. I've been a children's librarian for a synagogue since 1998. I was a member and chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award committee of the Association of Jewish Libraries, a founding member of the book selection committee for PJ Library, and I've been interviewing authors of Judaica for my podcast, The Book of Life, since 2005. I also review Jewish books for School Library Journal.



Finally, Weingrad holds up Shmelf the Hanukkah Elf by Greg Wolfe as an example of how low things have sunk. I agree with his opinion of that particular title (see my Shmelf podcast episode ), but once again Weingrad fails to notice the many excellent Hanukkah alternatives to Shmelf. In addition to a few Hanukkah titles mentioned in the lists above, the books below will delight readers seeking holiday entertainment, and many of them could easily have gone on the Illustration list above for their gorgeous artwork. These are the tip of the iceberg; Weingrad correctly points out "a calendar of never-ending Hanukahs," though he fails to acknowledge that this is due to market forces rather than a lack of imagination on the part of authors.I Have a Little Dreidel written and illustrated by Maxie BaumHanukkah in Alaska by Barbara BrownHanukkah Moon by Deborah da CostaCelebrate Hanukkah with Light, Latkes, and Dreidels by Deborah HeiligmanMenorah Under the Sea by Esther Susan HellerLatkes Latkes Good to Eat by Naomi HowlandHershel and the Hanukkah Goblins by Eric KimmelSimon and the Bear by Eric KimmelHow Mindy Saved Hanukkah by Eric KimmelA Letter on the Wind by Sarah Marwil LamsteinHanukkah Around the World by Tami Lehman-WilzigJodie's Hanukkah Dig by Anna LevineThe Miracle Jar by Audrey PennHanukkah Oh Hanukkah by Susan L. RothOskar and the Eight Blessings by Tanya SimonDreidels on the Brain by Joel Ben IzzyLike a Maccabee by Barbara BietzAlexandra's Scroll by Miriam ChaikinHanukkah, Shmanukkah by Esme Raji CodellSam I Am by Ilene CooperThe Golden Dreydl by Ellen KushnerThe Magic Menorah by Jane Breskin ZalbenJust a few years ago, the Skirball Cultural Center of Los Angeles and the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA collaborated on an exhibit, Monsters and Miracles: A Journey through Jewish Picture Books," featuring over 130 original works of art, texts, and related objects from time-honored classics and popular favorites. Jewish comics, while primarily aimed at older children and adults, have reached the point of having a dedicated Jewish Comic Con . The annual Jewish Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' Seminar welcomes new creatives into the fold. Gentle readers, do not be dismayed by the nay-saying of the uninformed. Jewish kidlit is alive and well, and continuing to expand.Want to see it grow even further? Support the market by borrowing Jewish books from your library, and buying Jewish books for yourself, your family, and your friends. Spread the word about great Jewish books by taking part in #Readukkah, a Jewish Reading Challenge co-sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries and the Jewish Book Council. Maybe even attend the next conference of the Association of Jewish Libraries in New York City to learn more about the genre and how you can support it!Happy Hanukkah and Happy Reading!Heidi Rabinowitz

Every few years, someone blogs about the terrible state of Jewish kidlit. It happened inin 2012, when Deborah Kolben saw the deaths of Simms Taback and Russell Hoban as signaling the end of the genre ( "Who Will Light Up Jewish Kids Lit?" ). At that time, I wrote this blog post to provide the context that was missing from her article. Now it's happened again inwith commentator Michael Weingrad's article "Why Are Jewish Children's Books So Bad?" and again I feel compelled to respond.If you take a superficial look at the genre of Jewish kidlit you may come away sharing Weingrad's impression: "cartoon animals teaching holiday basics in stilted rhymes, an overrepresentation of sentimental grandparents (to the frequent exclusion of parents), and shtetl-and-steerage depictions of New York’s Lower East Side as the Sinai of American Judaism" and a "Bible that stops with Noah’s ark". It's true that these are well-used tropes, executed with varying levels of success. But take the time to dig a little deeper and you will find the riches he decries as missing. Weingrad says "The global span of Jewish culture, the treasures of the textual tradition, the variety of Jewish sensibilities: these remain largely untouched." Untouched? Untrue. I hope readers will explore the titles listed here that not only touch but embrace these themes. (Note: Books listed range from classic to recent; as a librarian I advocate picking up out-of-print titles from your local library.)Around the World in One Shabbat by Durga Yael Bernhard (worldwide)The Secret Shofar of Barcelona by Jacqueline Dembar Greene (Inquisition Spain)Shanghai Sukkah by Heidi Smith Hyde (China)Never Say a Mean Word Again by Jacqueline Jules (medieval Spain)Everybody Says Shalom by Leslie Kimmelman (Israel)Much, Much Better byTurkestan, modern-day Kazakhstan)Yuvi's Candy Tree by Lesley Simpson (Ethiopia)The Wooden Sword by Ann Redisch Stampler (Afghanistan)Golemito by Ilan Stavans (Mexico)Rebecca's Journey Home by Brynn Olenberg Sugarman (Vietnamese adoption)The Yankee at the Seder by Elka Weber (Southern United States)Mira in the Present Tense by Sita Brahmachari (Indian British)Tropical Secrets by Margarita Engle (Cuba)My Basmati Bat Mitzvah by Paula J. Freedman (Indian American)Incantation by Alice Hoffman (Inquisition Spain)Freefall by Anna Levine (Israel)Life, After by Sarah Darer Littman (Argentina)Tucson Jo by Carol Matas (The American West)Cry of the Giraffe by Judie Oren (Ethiopia)Emily Goldberg Learns to Salsa by Micol Ostow (Puerto Rico)Prince William, Maximilian Minsky and Me by Holly Jane Rahlens (Germany)Chloe Leiberman (Sometimes Wong) by Carrie Rosten (Chinese American)The Bat-Chen Diaries by Bat-Chen Shahak (Israel)Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin (Soviet Union)Oh No, Jonah by Tilda BalsleyNachshon Who Was Afraid to Swim by Deborah Bodin CohenBagels from Benny by Aubrey DavisTo Everything There is a Season by Leo & Diane DillonQueen Esther Saves Her People by Rita Golden GelmanThe Bedtime Sh'ma by Sarah GershmanThe White Ram: A Story of Abraham and Isaac by Mordicai GersteinOn One Foot by Linda GlaserSarah Laughs by Jacqueline JulesThe Moses Basket by Jenny KoralekBabel by Marc LumerCreation by Gerald McDermottAdam and Eve and the Garden of Eden by Jane RayI Say Shehechiyanu by Joanne RocklinThe Littlest Mountain by Barb RosenstockCain & Abel: Finding the Fruits of Peace by Sandy Eisenberg SassoGathering Sparks by Howard SchwartzThe Longest Night by Laurel SnyderThe Rooster Prince of Breslov by Anne Redisch StamplerJoseph by Brian WildsmithThe Garden by Elsie V. AidinoffAngels Sweep the Desert Floor by Miriam ChaikinTales for the Seventh Day by Nina JaffeBe Not Far From Me by Eric KimmelPharoah's Daughter by Julius LesterWhen the Beginning Began by Julius LesterQueen of Secrets by Jenny MeyerhoffA Time to Love by Walter Dean MyersStorm by Donna Jo NapoliIn the Days of Sand and Stars by Marlee PinskerLove Me Later by Julie BaerAlef Bet Yoga by Ruth GoldeenThe Flower Girl Wore Celery by Meryl G. GordonSpeak Up, Tommy! by Jacqueline Dembar GreeneThe Purim Superhero by Elisabeth KushnerAs Good As Anybody by Richard MichelsonBeautiful Yetta the Yiddish Chicken by Daniel PinkwaterThe Schmutzy Family by Madelyn RosenbergThe Mitten String by Jennifer RosnerIn God's Name by Sandy Eisenberg SassoThe Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming by Lemony SnicketBaxter the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher by Laurel SnyderJalapeno Bagels by Natasha WingHereville series by Barry DeutschEthan, Suspended by Pamela EhrenbergDeath by Toilet Paper by Donna GephartReal Time by Pnina Moed KassLike No Other by Una LaMarcheWide Awake by David LevithanStrange Relations by Sonia LevitinGravity by Leanne LiebermanConfessions of a Closet Catholic by Sarah Darer LittmanThe Bras & Broomsticks series by Sarah MlynowskiSo Punk Rock: And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother by Micol OstowPlaying with Matches by Suri RosenNever Mind the Goldbergs by Matthue RothA Bottle in the Gaza Sea by Valerie ZenattiWeingrad also complains "The possibilities of illustration, too, crucial for so many children’s classics, remain barely explored." Lest you come away with the impression that Jewish children's books are ugly, let me mention some beautiful and creative examples within the genre.I Only Like What I Like written and illustrated by Julie BaerOn a Beam of LightSnow in Jerusalem by Deborah da Costa, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright & Ying-Hwa HuHare and Tortoise Race Across Israel by Laura Gehl, illustrated by Sarah GoodreauHanukkah at Valley Forge by Stephen Krensky, illustrated by Greg HarlinI Dissent by Debbie Levy, illustrated by Elizabeth BaddeleyJerusalem Sky: Stars, Crosses and Crescents written and illustrated by Mark PodwalAdam and Eve and the Garden of Eden written and illustrated by Jane RayFox Walked Alone written and illustrated by Barbara ReidChanukah Lights by Michael Rosen , paper engineering by Robert Sabuda (pop-up book)Turn! Turn! Turn! by Pete Seeger, illustrated by Wendy Anderson HalperinBefore You Were Born by Howard Schwartz, illustrated by Kristina SwarnerKibbitzers and Fools written and illustrated by Simms TabackCreation: A Pop-Up Book written and illustrated by Brian WildsmithYou Never Heard of Sandy Koufax? by Jonah Winter, illustrated by André CarrilhoGolem written and illustrated by David WisniewskiHanukkah Haiku by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Karla GudeonFrom Foe to Friend by S.Y. Agnon, illustrated by Shay CharkaHereville series written and illustrated by Barry DeutschThe Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz, illustrated by Hatem AlyThe Golem by Barbara Rogasky, illustrated by Trina Schart HymanRabbi Harvey series written and illustrated by Steve Sheinkin