When I was growing up as an observant Conservative Jew in a mostly Ashkenazi community in the Midwest, most of the Jewish children’s books that crossed my path felt very familiar. They were set either in New York, or in a version of my grandmother’s house—books like K’tonton, and What the Moon Brought by Sadie Rose Wellerstein, or The Carp in the Bathtub by Barbara Cohen. Others seemed to take place in my grandmother’s childhood home in the shtetl, like the Chelm books, or Zlateh the Goat. Even the Jewish holiday picture books by Sophia Cedarbaum, with their Ashkenazi spellings, or  All-of-a-Kind Family, by Sydney Taylor, fit comfortably within this narrow world of Jewish kidlit.

But in recent years, as the number of Jewish children’s books has exploded, we have begun to see far more diverse windows into Jewish life. We now see books and characters that are Orthodox, Reform, Sephardi, Mizrachi, interfaith, queer, suburban, rural, or from communities in distant lands such as Ethiopia, and India. As a result, books representing Conservative Jewish families have become harder to spot on the shelf.

And yet, even with such a variety, it is still possible to find new Jewish children’s books where the Conservative Jewish child or teen can clearly see themselves.

Picture Books: Shabbat and Holidays

Holiday and Shabbat books are a good place to find comfortably Conservative depictions, as they tend to appeal to a wide range of communities. A few standout titles from the last five years include: 

• The Stars will be my Nightlight, by Jen Halpern, illustrated by Chiara Fedele: a mother and child decorate and sleep in a sukkah.
• Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale With A Tail, by Leslea Newman, illustrated by Susan Gal: an outside cat joins a family inside during a Passover seder when the door is opened for Elijah the Prophet. 
• New this year, My Little Book of Big Jewish Holidays, by Hannah Shafiroff: a journey through the Jewish calendar and its holidays.
• Also new this year, Slow Down, Shoshi!: It’s Shabbat in Uganda, by Shoshana Nambi, illustrated by Moran Yogev: Set in the Abayudaya Conservative Jewish community in rural Uganda, as Shoshi and her grandfather rush to prepare for the coffee harvest and for Shabbat, Shoshi learns the value of slowing down and enjoying the moment.

These picture books depict a familiar Conservative rhythm of Jewish ritual.

Middle Grade Fiction: Navigating Identity and Community

Fiction books for Jewish middle schoolers often tackle the real stresses of adolescence: personal identity, bar mitzvah celebrations, and the normal social upheaval that occurs at that age. They also often begin to address the complexity in how Jewish practice varies within a community and even within a family.

Ellen Outside the Lines by A.J. Sass

Ellen Katz heads off on a school trip to Barcelona, chaperoned by her father, a graphic novelist—while her mother, the cantor at their synagogue, remains at home. Ellen, who is neurodivergent, struggles to understand changing friendships as her classmates reach adolescence. She also grapples with the revelation that her father’s Jewish observance differs from hers and her Ima’s, after a classmate catches him eating non-kosher food. Ellen learns that she has the strength and ability to adapt to all these changes.

Turtle Boy, by M. Evan Wolkenstein

As Will Levine studies for his bar mitzvah, Rabbi Harris steers him towards a bar mitzvah project: visiting a very sick boy in the hospital. Will remembers very little about his father, who died suddenly during a routine operation in the hospital—so a terminally ill patient seems an odd and difficult choice for Will. Especially since Will has a rare condition that will soon require him to have an operation. As Will learns his TorahRefers to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, also called the Five Books of Moses, Pentateuch or the Hebrew equivalent, Humash. This is also called the Written Torah. The term may also refer to teachings that expound on Jewish tradition. Read more reading and writes his speech for his bar mitzvah, he also learns a lot about his father,  himself, and the strength that comes from connection to others and to his Judaism. 

These books depict Jewish kids facing challenges with honesty and courage, rooted in modern American Jewish rituals and relationships.

One great new non-fiction picture book aimed at middle-schoolers, but appealing to all ages, is: 

Shabbat on Mars, by Jeff Ward, illustrated by Gila von Meissner

A wonderfully fun and informative exploration of both space and Jewish practice, Shabbat on Mars delves into how Jewish practice might evolve if people were to live on Mars: How do you keep Shabbat? Which direction do you face when praying? In the back matter, the author quips, “I guess this is what happens when a Jewish aerospace engineer marries a Conservative rabbi.” 

It’s a perfect example of the creativity and thoughtfulness of Jewish learning, both for kids and adults.

When adults choose books for their children and grandchildren, it’s easy to be nostalgic for the books they read growing up. Though the Jewish kids’ books I came across as a child provided a sense of comfort, I must admit that they did not reflect the Jewish world that I inhabited then, or the Jewish world my children and I inhabit now.  I gladly choose these newer books that give me a window into other communities as well as insight into my own.