A lovely way to celebrate and share the importance of the High Holidays with your little ones is to explore wonderful holiday stories with bright beautiful pictures depicting all that Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are about. There are many children’s books about the holidays and we’ve found some of the best.
The Hardest Word
A Yom Kippur Story
By Jacqueline Jules
Illustrated by Katherine Janus Kahn
This is a rollicking good tale that is so much fun you’ll barely realize what a solid lesson it teaches. The Ziz, a clumsy but good-hearted bird of folklore, is always making mistakes. When he accidentally destroys a vegetable garden, he flies to Mount Sinai to ask G-d for advice. He is given the assignment to bring back “the hardest word.” That proves to be an almost insurmountable task, but finally, in admitting defeat, The Ziz finds the word as well as the solution, and the reader finds a gentle lesson for the Day of Atonement. Kahn’s pictures are fanciful. This book is for chidren 3 to 8.
Today is the Birthday of the World
By Linda Heller
Illustrated by Alison Jay
Today is a special day: the birthday of the world, when G-d and all G-d’s creatures celebrate the beauty of life. As G-d asks each creature in turn whether it has been the best that it can be, this simple affirmation of life and goodness applauds the contribution that each and every one of us—from the mightiest elephant to the smallest child—can make. The whimsical animals will make this a favorite book on the family shelf. This book is for children 3 to 6.
A Family Seder for Apples and Pomegranates
Rosh Hashanah
By Rahel Musleah
Illustrated by Judy Jarrett
Enjoy a Sephardic Rosh Hashanah Seder. This special service incorporates blessings, songs, and folk tales relating to eight foods that symbolize prosperity, fertility, and peace. Traditional holiday recipes are included. Watercolors in fall hues—oranges, yellows, browns, and greens—against muted backgrounds accentuate the ideas and stories presented; for children in grades 2 through 6.
How the Rosh Hashanah Challah Became Round
By Sylvia B. Epstein
Illustrated by Hagit Migron
While helping his father the baker make challah for Rosh Hashanah, young Yossi’s tumble down the stairs has a big effect on the special holiday bread. Yossi’s terrible tumble turns out to be a terrific triumph! This is a tale with year-round appeal, even though it takes place on Rosh Hashanah. This one is for children 3 to 8 years old.
Happy New Year, Beni
Written and Illustrated by Jane Breskin Zalben
This Rosh Hashanah, Beni and Sara are going to Grandma and Grandpa’s for the holidays. Everyone will be there—including cousin Max. Before dinner, Sara lights the candles and Grandpa says the Kiddush. At the temple, Papa blows the shofar and joyfully welcomes in the new year. But Max almost spoils the holiday for everyone by hogging all the sweet fruits at dinner and putting creepy surprises under his cousins’ pillows. It’s only when Grandpa takes a quiet moment to explain the tradition of tashlich that Max is willing to start the new year off with a clean slate—or is he? Jane Breskin Zalben captures the joy and warmth of this special holiday. This book is for children 4 and over.
New Year at the Pier: A Rosh Hashanah Story
By April Halprin Wayland
Illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch
Izzy loves autumn, he particularly likes the custom of tashlich. He recalls his mistakes with regret.
When the holiday services end, everyone walks to the beach. There, the rabbi reminds them that it is time for casting off the things they do not need or want to keep. Izzy tosses pieces of bread into the water for each thing that he is sorry about, then finishes giving and receiving apologies. All is forgiven. Everyone goes home with empty bread bags and clean, wide-open hearts.
When Izzy and his friend Ben exchange their apologies, the humanity of the holiday’s message and its psychology are clear. For children 5 to 8.
When the Chicken Went on Strike
By Erica Selverman
Adapted from a story by
Sholom Aleichem
Illustrated by Matthew Trueman
One Rosh Hashanah, a boy overhears some chickens planning a strike. They are sick of being used for kapores, the custom in which people swing a live chicken over their heads, hoping to erase their bad deeds. When all of the chickens run away, the women try to coax them back with grain, the men try to get them back with force, and the rabbi tries to negotiate. Finally the boy pleads, “Without kapores, I will never be able to make my papa proud.” The absurdity of the plot gives way to a profound resolution. This amusing story about wise chickens and foolish villagers will be enjoyed by anyone who has ever wanted to be a better person. This one’s for children 5 to 9 years old
Tashlich at Turtle Rock
By Susan Schnur and Anna Schnur-Fishman
Illustrated byAlex Steele-Morgan
On Rosh Hashanah, Annie leads her family on a hike in order to perform tashlich, the ritual of throwing crumbs into flowing water to symbolically cast away sins from the old year.
In a ceremony customized by her family, Annie directs her brother and parents to four waterfront sites where they remember good things, discard something regrettable, make a promise for the coming year, and enjoy apples dipped in honey. For children 5 and up.
