The Jewish holiday Sukkot, or Feast of Tabernacles, is an annually held fall holiday. Arriving shortly after Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Sukkot recognizes the exodus from Egypt and when the Israelites had to live in temporary shelters. Sukkot started just last Friday night, and currently, Jewish families all over the world will be eating or living in temporary houses called "sukkahs." I saw my first sukkahs when my family and I lived in Jerusalem. I loved seeing the way my neighbors celebrated and I love that now we have so many picture books to learn about how different Jewish families celebrate Sukkot. If you are celebrating Sukkot yourself, or want to learn about this holiday, check out these picture books about the Feast of Tabernacles. חג שמח!
Written by Sidura Ludwig
Illustrated by Sophia Vincent Guy
Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2026. Picture Book.
A Jewish family is setting up their sukkah and are excited to eat, play, and sing in it. Then, suddenly, a big wind storm tears it apart! Thankfully, neighbors help bring the pieces of the Sukkah back home. This act of community ends up making the sukkah even more meaningful this year. Read this to celebrate hospitality and community gathering this Sukkot.
Written by Amy Fellner Dominy
Illustrated by Rotem Teplow
Minneapolis, MN: Kar-Ben Publishing, 2026. Picture Book.
A child stumbles across a small sukkah only inhabited by a cat. They inspect the sukkah and see that you can see through the roof. Soon, a family comes to decorate the sukkah as the child asks "What kind of house is this?" A House with No Door emphasizes how Sukkot is a time for family and community gathering and a celebration of bounty.
Written by Kerry M. Olitzky
Illustrated by Stacey Dressen McQueen
Minneapolis, MN: Kar-Ben Publishing, 2024. Picture Book.
The year is 1729 and Leah, Aaron, and Mama are waiting for Papa to come home to their homestead from trading on Corsica. Papa promised that he would bring home an etrog for Sukkot (one of the four plants needed to celebrate the holiday). Leah gets nervous as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur pass, knowing that Sukkot is soon after. Papa finally arrives on the first night of sukkot, Etrog in hand, and the family celebrates together.
Written by Leah Rachel Berkowitz
Illustrated by Sharon Vargo
Millburn, NJ: Apples & Honey Press, an imprint of Behrman House Publishers, 2023. Picture Book.
Moving to a new place is often hard, especially when you're trying to celebrate a holiday and most of your stuff is still in moving boxes. In Berkowitz's picture book, a boy is worried about how he and his mom will celebrate Sukkot when they don't have a yard to build their sukkah --a temporary dwelling place built during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Through stories, his mom is able to assure him that people have built sukkahs in all sorts of strange places and that soon their new apartment will feel like home.
Written by Christina Matula and Erica Lyons
Illustrated byTracey Subisak
New York: Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2024.
Ruby is getting ready to help her family celebrate two fall holidays: the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival and the Jewish Holiday of Sukkot. This means going to market, decorating, and making food. But Ruby realizes that something's missing: something to bridge the two holidays she loves. Stories from Ruby's family explain the stories and histories behind the two festivals. I love Ruby's story because it shows the perspective of multiple cultures blending through their holidays.
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