Picture Books That Celebrate Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the start of a new year in the Hebrew calendar. It usually falls during September or early October. Rosh Hashanah is a time for people to reflect on the past year and think about the year ahead.
One of this holiday’s traditions is the sounding of the shofar, which is a horn made from a ram’s horn. Rosh Hashanah is a special time for family and friends to spend time together. People eat foods that have special meaning, like apples dipped in honey for a sweet new year, and round challah bread representing the cycle of a year.
Here are seven picture books to share the stories, traditions, and themes of Rosh Hashanah with all families. Shanah Tovah — Happy New Year!
Measuring a Year(opens in new window)
How do you measure a year? This book helps you look back on the past year as part of Rosh Hashanah. The colored pencil illustrations show different people enjoying life’s moments, like making new friends or moving to a new home. But they also show communities celebrating Jewish holidays and big events — Sukkot, Purim, weddings, bar mitzvahs — throughout the year. At the end of the book, the author gives you questions to think about your own year.
Shanah Tovah, Grover!(opens in new window)
Grover is getting ready to celebrate the Jewish New Year! This book shows you how the “Sesame Street” neighborhood gets ready for Rosh Hashanah. Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and other familiar characters are featured throughout the book. And they all wish you Shanah Tovah — Happy New Year!
Sammy Spider’s First Rosh Hashanah(opens in new window)
This fun book, filled with colorful collages, invites you into a journey of traditions and celebrations. It stars Sammy Spider who lives outside the Shapiros’ house. Sammy’s quite curious about what the Shapiros are up to, and his mom explains the traditions of Rosh Hashanah. They talk about things like blowing the shofar, baking round challah bread, and dipping apples in honey. This book is part of the “Sammy Spider” series, where the little spider learns about Jewish holidays like Hanukkah, Purim, Passover, and more!
New Year at the Pier(opens in new window)
During Rosh Hashanah, there’s a tradition called Tashlich. It’s when people say sorry for things they wish they hadn’t done in the past year. In this story, Izzy’s family is getting ready for Tashlich. They’re making lists of things they want to apologize for. Izzy goes around to his friends and family to say sorry for things he did, like drawing on his sister’s forehead. Later, everyone in their congregation goes to the pier for the Tashlich ceremony. They throw pieces of bread into the ocean; each piece represents something they’re sorry for. Izzy learns that saying sorry and making things right with the people you love feels really good!
Rosh Hashanah With Uncle Max(opens in new window)
This board book helps even the youngest readers learn about Rosh Hashanah. Fun Uncle Max comes to visit the people he loves to celebrate the new year. Together, they watch the sun go down, light the candles, and dip challah and apples in honey. Hebrew translations of words and phrases, such as dvash for honey, are included. (And Uncle Max’s humor makes this book extra sweet!)
Engineer Ari and the Rosh Hashanah Ride(opens in new window)
Engineer Ari is very proud to drive the first train from Jaffa to Jerusalem. During his journey, he collects goods, like apples, honey, and challah, for Rosh Hashanah from the people he meets. By the end, he learns an important lesson about saying sorry and promising to do better. Kids will enjoy saying “toot, toot!” and “chug-a-lugged” with the train. An author’s note tells the true story of the first steam train going between Jaffa and Jerusalem.
The Rosh Hashanah Recipe(opens in new window)
Bright and colorful illustrations help tell the story of a family who visits an apple orchard. But, uh-oh! They pick too many apples for just one apple cake. They get creative by making new apple recipes for Rosh Hashanah. The book includes two recipes from the story (Ruby’s Savory Apple Pizza and Ruby’s Sweet Apple Pizza) that readers can make at home.
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