Looking for books, teacher guides, and activities to enhance your religious school programs? The Book Meshuggenahs can help! Check out this page for our award-winning, traditionally-published books for kids with Jewish-themes and Jewish-characters organized by holidays throughout the school year, along with free corresponding teacher guides, and activities, for all ages — preschool through high school, teaching everything from Jewish values to holidays, music, arts, and STEM. Click on the appropriate link below.

Looking for something you don’t see yet or have questions about? Reach out to the Book Meshuggenahs directly. We look forward to hearing from you!

HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY

Martin & Anne: The Kindred Spirits of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Anne Frank by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg (Creston Books)

The Brave Cyclist: The True Story of a Holocaust Hero by Amalia Hoffman, illustrated by Chiara Fedele (Capstone Publishing)

Tu-B’shvat

Find a tree activity here.
Find a coloring page here.

Happy Birthday, Trees by Karen Rostoker-Gruber, illustrated by Holly Sterling (Kar-Ben Publishing)

Planting Friendship: Peace, Salaam, Shalom by Melissa Stoller, Callie Metler, and Shirin Rahman, illustrated by Kate Talbot (Clear Fork)

Purim

Find a Purim puppet activity and coloring page here.
Find a hamantaschen recipe here.

Maddie the Mitzvah Clown by Karen Rostoker-Gruber, illustrated by Christine Grove (Apples & Honey Press)

Purim Goodies by Amalia Hoffman (Gefen)

Esther Didn’t Dream of Being Queen by Allison Ofanansky, illustrated by Valentina Belloni (Apples & Honey Press)

Women’s History Month (March)

The Queen of Chess: How Judit Polgar Changed the Game by Laurie Wallmark, illustrated by Stevie Lewis (Little Bee)

She’s a Mensch!: Jewish Women Who Rocked the World by Rachelle Burn and Alana Barouch, illustrated by Arielle Trenk (Intergalactic Afikoman)

Debbie’s Song by Ellen Leventhal, illustrated by Natalia Grebtsova (Kar-Ben Publishers)

Hedy Lamarr’s Double Life: Hollywood Legend and Brilliant Inventor by Laurie Wallmark, illustrated by Katy Wu (Sterling Children’s Books)

Dear Mr. Dickens by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Bethany Stancliffe (Albert Whitman & Co)

Martin and Anne: The Kindred Spirits of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Anne Frank by Nancy Churnin, illustratedd by Yevgenia Nayberg

Esther Didn’t Dream of Being Queen by Allison Ofanansky, illustrated by Valentina Belloni (Apples & Honey Press)

A Queen to the Rescue: The Story of Henrietta Szold, Founder of Hadassah by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg

National Poetry Month (April)

H is for Haiku: A Treasury of Haiku from A to Z by Sydell Rosenberg, illustrated by Sawsan Chalabi (Penny Candy Books)

Poised Across the Sky (for adults) by Sydell Rosenberg (Kattywumpus Press)

Passover

Under-the-Sea Seder by Ann D. Koffksy (Apples & Honey Press)

Big Dreams, Small Fish by Paula Cohen (Levine Querido)

The Family and Frog Haggadah by Karen Rostoker-Gruber and Rabbi Ron Isaacs, illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic (Behrman House)

The Best Four Questions by Rachelle Burk, illustrated by Mélanie Florian (Kar-Ben Publishing)

Passover Scavenger Hunt by Shanna Silva, illustrated by Miki Sakamoto, (Kar-Ben Publishing)

Kayla and Kugel’s Almost-Perfect Passover by Ann Koffsky (Apples & Honey Press)

Frogs in the Bed: My Passover Seder Activity Book by Ann Koffsky (Behrman House)

How It’s Made: Matzah by Allison Ofanansky, photography by Eliyahu Alpern (Apples & Honey Press)

Mimouna

A Sweet Meeting on Mimouna Night by Allison Ofanansky, illustrated by Rotem Teplow (Groundwood Books)

Israeli Independence Day/Yom Ha’atzmaut

Find a coloring page here.

Fast Asleep in a Little Village in Israel by Jennifer Tzivia MacLeod, illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke (Apples & Honey Press)

Shavuot

Find a coloring page here.

Yossi and the Monkeys by Jennifer Tzivia MacLeod, illustrated by Shirley Waisman (Kar-Ben Publishing)

Cheesecake for Shavuot by Allison Ofanansky, photography by Eliyahu Alpern (Kar-Ben Publishing)

The Fourth of July

Irving Berlin: The Immigrant Boy Who Made America Sing by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by James Rey Sanchez (Creston Books)

Tisha B’Av

Find a coloring page here.

Tisha B’Av: A Jerusalem Journey by Allison Ofanansky, photography by Eliyahu Alpern (Kar-Ben Publishing)

Rosh Chodesh-the first day of every month

New Month, New Moon by Allison Ofanansky, photography by Eliyahu Alpern (Kar-Ben Publishing)

Rosh Hashanah

Find a coloring page here.

Animal Tashlich by Jennifer Tzivia MacLeod (Safer editions)

Penguin Rosh Hashanah by Jennifer Tzivia MacLeod

What’s the Buzz?: Honey for a Sweet New Year by Allison Ofanansky, photography by Eliyahu Alpern (Kar-Ben Publishing)

Yom Kippur

Find coloring pages here.

What’s in Tuli’s Box by Ann Koffsky (Apples and Honey Press)

Caterpillar Yom Kippur by Jennifer Tzivia MacLeod (Safer Editions)

Sukkot

Find a coloring page here.

Sukkot Treasure Hunt by Allison Ofanansky, photography by Eliyahu Alpern (Kar-Ben Publishing)

Simchat Torah

Creation Colors by Ann Koffsky (Apples & Honey Press)

How It’s Made: Torah Scroll by Allison Ofanansky, photography by Eliyahu Alpern (Apples & Honey Press)

The Patchwork Torah by Allison Ofanansky, illustrated by Elsa Oriol (Kar-Ben Publishing)

Sigd

Pumpkin Pie for Sigd by Jennifer Tzivia MacLeod, illustrated by Denise Damanti (Apples & Honey Press)

Hanukkah

Find a shamash holder activity here.
Find a coloring page here.

Hanukkah Nights by Amalia Hoffman (Kar-Ben Publishing)

Kayla and Kugel’s Happy Hanukkah by Ann Koffsky (Apples & Honey Press)

Farmer Kobi’s Hanukkah Match by Karen Rostoker-Gruber, illustrated by CB Decker (Apples & Honey Press)

Dreidel Day by Amalia Hoffman (Kar-Ben Publishing)

Hannah’s Hanukkah Hiccups by Shanna Silva, illustrated by Bob McMahon (Apples & Honey Press)

Harvest of Light by Allison Ofanansky, photography by Eliyahu Alpern (Kar-Ben Publishing)

How It’s Made: Hanukkah Menorah by Allison Ofanansky, photography by Eliyahu Alpern (Apples & Honey Press)

Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor by Ann Koffsky, illustrated by Talitha Shipman (Apples & Honey Press)

Computer Science Education Week (around 12/9)

Find a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) activity book here.

Hedy Lamarr’s Double Life: Hollywood Legend and Brilliant Inventor by Laurie Wallmark, illustrated by Katy Wu (Union Square Kids)

Jewish Life

Guarding your health: A Jewish value
Find a coloring page here.

Rivka’s Presents by Laurie Wallmark, illustrated by Adelina Lirius 

A Flood of Kindness by Ellen Leventhal, illustrated by Blythe Russo (WorthyKids)

My Hands Make the World by Amalia Hoffman (Harold Grinspoon Foundation)

Avi the Ambulance and the Snowy Day by Claudia Carlson and Ann Koffsky, illustrated by CB Decker (Apples & Honey Press)

A Crowded Farmhouse Folktale (Yiddish Folktale) by Karen Rostoker-Gruber, illustrated by Kristina Swarner (Albert Whitman)

The Incredible Shrinking Lunchroom by Michal Babay, illustrated by Paula Cohen (Charlesbridge)

Noah’s Swim-a-Thon by Ann Koffsky (Apples & Honey Press)

Avi for President by Ann Koffsky (Menucha Publishers)

Honey on the Page: A Treasury of Yiddish Children’s Literature by Miriam Udel, illustrated by Paula Cohen (NYU Press)

Sarah Builds a School by Ann Koffsky, illustrated by Leslie Ginsparg Klein (Menucha Publishers)

The Klezmer Bunch by Amalia Hoffman (Gefen Publishing House)

Shabbat

Counting on Shabbat by Nancy Churning;, illustrated by Petronela Dostalova (Kar-Ben Publishing)

Clarence’s Topsy-Turvy Shabbat by Jennifer Tzivia MacLeod, illustrated by Jennie Poh (Kar-Ben Publishing)

Sadie’s Shabbat Stories by Melissa Stoller, illustrated by Lisa Goldberg (Clear Fork)

Shabbat Shalom, Hey! by Ann Koffsky (Kar-Ben Publishing)

Interfaith

Building Bridges: Peace, Salaam, Shalom by Callie Lovvorn, Shirin Rahman, and Melissa Stoler, illustrated by Kate Talbot (Clear Fork)

Buy

Planting Friendship: Peace, Salaam, Shalom by Melissa Stoller, Callie Metler, and Shirin Rahman, illustrated by Kate Talbot (Clear Fork)