Please welcome Vivian Kirkfield today with her list of Picture Books about Passover and Easter. We are giving away a signed copy of her book, Pippa’s Passover Plate! Please enter using the Rafflecopter at the bottom.
p.s. Here are a few more Passover and Easter children’s books.
Dayenu!: A Favorite Passover Song illustrated by Miriam Latimer
Toddlers will enjoy singing this beloved song during their Passover celebration using this charming board book. [board book, ages baby and up]
An Invitation to Passover by Rabbi Kerry Olitzky and Rabbi Deborah Bodin Cohen, illustrated by Mariia Kolker
None of Hannah’s relatives can come to Passover this year so she invites her friends instead to share her culture. Each friend adds to the mix. Sammy brought a kite because, in India, kites celebrate spring. Ha-Joon brings kimchi, a bitter vegetable delicacy. Monique shares a gospel hymn, “Go Down, Moses,” a song about enslavement. Rina brought homemade matzah. This is a beautiful story to show how we are all more alike than different! [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Why On This Night?: A Passover Haggadah for Family Celebration by Rahel Musleah, illustrated by Louise August
This beautifully illustrated picture book is meant to accompany the Passover seder and has everything necessary to tell the story of how the Israelites escaped from slavery in Egypt including songs, recipes, and, of course, the story itself. [picture book, ages 7 and up]
Piggyback Pals: Easter Cuties by Joyce Wan
Simple rhyming text accompanies these cuties ready to celebrate Easter. This is perfect for little hands and Easter baskets! [board book, ages 1 and up]
Both Easter and Passover are holidays that cluster around springtime. They give us an opportunity to reflect on the past and look forward with hope for the future. Whether you celebrate the religious aspects of these holidays or not, the following books are appropriate for sharing with children all over the world. One of the most important things we can do to encourage inclusivity and understanding is to share information with our kids about diverse cultures
12 Passover and Easter Picture Books
Sammy Spider’s Passover Shapes by Sylvie Rouss, illustrated by Katherine Kahn
When the Shapiro family cleans the house in preparation for Passover, Sammy Spider and his mom are swept from their web. As they build a new one, Sammy learns all about the holiday and helps out at the Seder meal in a very special way.
Many of the Passover children’s books are board books with very little story involved. Here we have a story kids will engage with – about a spider, no less – and the traditional elements of the holiday are woven into the fabric of the story. [picture book, ages 3 and up]
The Easter Egg by Jan Brett
When Hoppi tries to help the Easter Bunny deliver eggs, everything goes wrong, and Hoppi hides in the woods, but when he saves a robin’s egg and cares for it, he learns the true meaning of Easter.
Beautiful illustrations combine with a heartfelt story that young children will connect with. Most kids struggle with mastering tasks and skills and they will understand Hoppi’s disappointment. [picture book, ages 3 and up]
More Than Enough by April Wayland, illustrated by Katie Kath
As the story unfolds, we accompany two children as they shop, prepare charoset, get dressed, and go to Nana’s for the Seder meal. They eat, pray, sing, play the Afikommen game, and finally, get tucked into bed.
The illustrations are charming and the refrain of Danyenu, a traditional Seder song, weaves through each page. I love the glossary that helps explain words or concepts that might be unfamiliar. The addition of the kitten adoption is a lovely touch that young readers will appreciate. [picture book, ages 3 and up]
Egg by Kevin Henkes
Three pastel eggs hatch. But there’s another one that doesn’t open. The little chicks help their sibling emerge, only to discover it is a very different creature indeed. After the frightened chicks run away, they return and a new friendship develops.
A lovely story of friendship and family. Sparse text and simple illustrations combine for a perfect story for little ones. But older kids can appreciate the message of diversity and inclusion. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
The Passover Lamb by Linda Marshall, illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss
Miriam knows the Four Questions by heart and can’t wait to go to Grandma’s house to celebrate the first night of Passover with a Seder meal. But on the farm, the well-being of the animals must be considered, and when one of the brand-new lambs needs to be fed every four hours, Miriam must find an ingenious solution so that she and her family can go.
Children will love the drama of the little lamb who needs constant attention and the clever girl who figures out a way to participate in the Seder meal while fulfilling her obligation to care for the lamb. And I love that this story evolved from a true event in the life of the author. [picture book, ages 6 and up]
We’re Going On an Egg Hunt by Laura Hughes
A charming family of rabbits goes hunting for Easter eggs in this lift-the-flap counting adventure where you never know what you will run into or hop over.
I love this book because it is a wonderful read-aloud. And the counting aspect and the lift-the-flaps make this a guaranteed page-turner for young kids. [picture book, ages 3 and up]
A Sweet Passover by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by David Slonim
Young Miriam loves matzah and every day of Passover, she enjoys it. But too much of a good thing is…too much, and by the eighth day, Miriam is longing for something different and refuses to eat any more matzah. With help from her Grandfather and his matzah brei, Miriam learns the true meaning of Passover.
I love the counting aspect of this book…eight Days of Passover and eight days of eating matzah…kids will appreciate the humor and connect with the multigenerational aspect of this story. The illustrations are very kid-friendly – bright, colorful, and full of joy! [picture book, ages 5 and up]
The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by Du Bose Hayward, illustrated by Marjorie Flack
Mother Bunny has twenty-six children, but she doesn’t let that keep her from pursuing her dream of becoming the Official Easter Bunny. Teaching her children to accept responsibility is only part of her plan to make her dream a reality. (Ages 4-7)
This is one of my favorite books, for Eastertime or anytime. Children will relate to Mother Bunny who strives to make her dream come true. But they will also connect with Mother Bunny’s children who master tasks and skills so they can help out around the house so mom can do her thing. Quite a modern-day girl-power story even though it was written more than seventy-five years ago. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Pippa’s Passover Plate by Vivian Kirkfield, illustrated by Jill Weber
A charming mouse must confront her natural enemies, Cat, Snake, and Owl, in order to locate the special Seder plate in time for the holiday. Unexpected friendships blossom and the animals celebrate together. (Ages 2-6)
Children will cheer for Pippa as she hunts for her dish. They will relate to her fear of scary things. Pippa is a great role model because she finds ways to overcome her fears and move forward. The color palette and illustrations are joyous! The book is a PJ Library selection and there are activities for kids and resources for parents on their website. [picture book, ages 2 and up]
Signed Copy of Pippa’s Passover Plate GIVEAWAY!
We are giving away a signed copy of her book, Pippa’s Passover Plate! Please enter using the Rafflecopter below. We can only ship to U.S. addresses and AFO boxes.
p.s. Related posts:
Top 10: Best Interfaith Jewish Children’s Books (ages 3- 16)
Best World Religion Children’s Books
Easter Eggs Pysanka Style: Video, Picture Books and GIVEAWAY
Contemporary #OwnVoices Jewish Children’s Books
10 Jewish Folktale-Inspired Books
10 Award-Winning Jewish Books for Kids and Kid Lit Blog Hop
Young Adult Post WWII Jewish War Story: What I Saw and How I Lied
Writer for children – reader forever…that’s Vivian Kirkfield in five words. She’s got a bucket list that contains many more than five words – but she’s already checked off skydiving, parasailing, and banana-boat riding. When she is not looking for ways to fall from the sky or sink under the water, she can be found writing picture books that she hopes will encourage young kids to become lovers of books and reading.
She is the author of Pippa’s Passover Plate (Holiday House, Feb 2019); Four Otters Toboggan: An Animal Counting Book (PomegranateKids, March 2019); Sweet Dreams, Sarah (Creston Books, May 2019); Making Their Voices Heard: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe (Little Bee Books, Spring 2020); From Here to There: Inventions That Changed the Way the World Moves (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Fall 2020).
Vivian lives in the quaint New Hampshire town of Amherst where the old stone library is her favorite hangout and her young grandson is her favorite board game partner. You can visit Vivian on her website, Picture Books Help Kids Soar, where she hosts the #50PreciousWords Writing Challenge every March. Or connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Linkedin, and just about anywhere people are playing with picture books.
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My books:
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court
- ALSC Notable Children’s Book
- Orbis Pictus Recommended Book for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
- California Eureka Non-Fiction Award Honor Book
- Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
- Junior Library Guild Gold Selection
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- ⭐ Starred review from School Library Journal!
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Massachusetts Book Award Long List
- dPICTUS 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
- Green Earth Book Award Long List
- Nautilus Silver Winner, Nonfiction Children’s Picture Book
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Bank Street College’s The Best Children’s Books of the Year
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
What a wonderful list of springtime holiday picture books! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for this extensive list of springtime holiday picture books. Great selection of holiday mentor texts.
Huzzah huzzah & hearty congrats, Vivian!! Such a cute cover & I can’t wait to read it!!
I love the variety of books! Great post!
What a wonderful list of spring books. Looking forward to reading Vivian’s “Pippa’s Passover Plate.” Unique book.
They are all marvelous books. I would love to read The Passover Lamb. It is a great collection to pick for Children to read about this Easter.
Thank you so much, Mia, for this wonderful opportunity to share this list of Easter/Passover stories for kids!
What a great list. I cannot wait to read them with the kids. I also love Only Nine Chairs.
What a fabulous and generous giveaway! Thanks for a great blog and a cool chance to win. 😊
I would like to read the passover lamb
Would love to read the passover lamb. They all look good
My girls love the Max and Ruby Easter Chicken book lol. Its the one book they always choose.
This is a fabulous collection of Easter themed books! Thanks so much for giving us these titles. Several are already favorites!
Egg is a favorite, and Max’s Chocolate Chicken!
A kids bible with fun illustrations. The “true” meaning of Easter and Passover.
I love the list of these books for the holidays. I really dont have a favorite book.
I don’t really have a favorite Passover book, but the Pippa one looks super cute. My least favorite Passover book (sorry) would have to be the Sammy Spider story. We’ve gotten various Sammy Spider holiday books over the years from PJ Library and the kids have always found them very boring.
I don’t have a favorite but these all look really cute! 🙂
I don’t have any Easter books for the kids, but these look awesome!!
Our favorite is Sammy Spider’s Passover.
I don’t have any Passover or Easter books picture books yet for my kids, but would like to!
I like The Country Bunny.
As a Jewish family I would love to win this book.
Tell me about Easter picture book.
My favorite picture book of Easter is “God Gave Us Easter”.