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Books by Theme » Jewish Books » We Love These Sukkot Books for Kids!

We Love These Sukkot Books for Kids!

By Lauren Bercuson ·  Published: Oct 6, 2022 ·  Modified: Oct 9, 2022 ·  This post may contain affiliate links

Sukkot books for kids celebrate the harvest! These meaningful stories show Sukkot celebrated around the world and children everywhere building, playing in and enjoying their sukkahs. Check them out!

The covers of 9 Sukkot books for kids.
Table of Contents:
  1. What is Sukkot?
  2. Why is it important to read children’s books about Sukkot?
  3. Our Favorite Sukkot Books for Kids

What is Sukkot?

Sukkot is a joyful week that begins after the Jewish high holidays, just five days after Yom Kippur.

During Sukkot, Jewish people build hut-like structures called sukkahs that symbolize the dwellings Jews lived in while wandering in the desert. Traditionally, the sukkah has three walls and a thatched roof which provides protection from the sun but also allows the stars to be seen from the inside.

During the week of Sukkot, Jewish families eat their meals in the sukkah and always invite others to share in their feast during this time. To commemorate the harvest bounty, it is tradition to hold and shake four species of plant inside the sukkah, including the palm, myrtle, willow (or the “lulav”) and the citron (“etrog.”)

Why is it important to read children’s books about Sukkot?

It is tremendously important for children to see themselves in the stories they read. Not only do Jewish children’s books reflect the diversity of Judaism, but they show Jewish kids that they are valued and important, too. Additionally, kids books about Sukkot help non-Jewish children learn about this meaningful Jewish holiday.

Happily Ever Elephants participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.

RELATED: Looking for more Jewish stories? Check out this list of children’s Hanukkah books as well as this list of Passover books.

Our Favorite Sukkot Books for Kids

The cover of Is it Sukkot Yet, a Sukkot book for kids.
Is it Sukkot Yet?
By Chris Barash and Alessandra Psacharopulo

Fall has arrived, which means its time to start preparing for Sukkot! Just as the animals start storing their food in trees and dens, a family begins to build their sukkah and, gathers decorations to hang from the roof and walls. Break out the lulav and etrog – Sukkot is almost here! 

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The cover of The Vanishing Gourds, a fun Sukkot book for kids.
The Vanishing Gourds:A Sukkot Mystery
By Susan Axe-Bronk and Marta Monelli

Sara and her family are decorating beginning to decorate their sukkah in preparation for Sukkot, but suddenly their gourds go missing! When Sara and her brother sleep in the sukkah, they hear the sound of munching from above and eventually discover a squirrel is responsible for the missing gourds. Will the squirels be able to repay Sara and her family for what they have taken?

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The cover of Sukkot is Coming, a children’s book about Sukkot.
Sukkot is Coming
By Tracy Newman and Viviana Garofoli

This sweet board book for your youngest readers will help teach preschoolers all about Sukkot. From building a sukkah to shaking the symbolic lulav and etrog, this sweet story will prepare youngsters for the harvest holiday.

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The cover of The Best Sukkot Pumpkin Ever,, a Sukkot book for kids.
The Best Sukkot Pumpkin Ever
By Laya Steinberg and Colleen Madden

Micah and his family are visiting the pumpkin patch and he can’t wait to pick out the most perfect pumpkin for Sukkot. While there, he learns that many of the pumpkins will be donated to a soup kitchen. Micah has a hard time determining which pumpkins to keep and which to donate, and eventually decides to keep only some pumpkin seeds which he knows will grow into a perfect pumpkin for next year. This is a beautiful story to teach young readers about both sukkot and the concept of tikkun olam, or helping others.

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The cover of The Best Elephant in the Sukkah, a Sukkot book for kids.
The Elephant in the Sukkah
By Sherri Mandel and Ivana Kuman

Henry the elephant is now living at a farm for old elephants and misses his circus days. Nobody cares to hear him sing, and he feels so lonely! When he hears music one day, he follows the sound to the Brennar’s sukkah, but poor Henry is too big to sit inside.  Can Henry find a way to celebrate sukkot with his new friends within the sukkah? This one never fails to make my students laugh!

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The cover of Tikvah Means Hope, a children’s Sukkot book.
Tikvah Means Hope
By Patricia Polacco

Justine, Duane, and their neighbors are getting ready for Sukkot when a fire sweeps through their town. Even in the midst of catastrophe, however, they are still able to see small miracles around them. Once the fire subsided, the family discovers the cat, Tikvah, is still alive, and the sukkah remained unscathed. This is a touching story about Sukkot that also depicts the Oakland, California fires in the 1990s.  

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The cover of Who’s Got the Etrog, a Sukkot book for kids.
Who’s Got the Etrog
By Jane Kohuth and Elissambura

In this fabulously illustrated and entertaining book, Auntie Sanyu constructs a sukkah right in the middle of her Ugandan garden. Lots of wildlife come to check it out, including a warthog, a lion and a giraffe, and they are all eager to celebrate Sukkot. Each animal hopes to shake the lulav and smell the etrog, but one of the animals wants these special items all for himself. Will he learn to share?

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The cover of Sadie’s Sukkah Breakfast, a Sukkot book for kids.
Sadie’s Sukkah Breakfast
By Jamie Korngold and Julie Fortenberry

Sadie and Ori wake up with excitement on the first day of Sukkot, and they can’t wait to take their breakfast outside — they will eat it in the sukkah, of course! But the kids remember that when they eat in the sukkah, they must invite special guests to share in their feast. Their parents aren’t up yet — will they find friends to invite?

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The cover of The Mysterious Guests, a children’s Sukkot book.
The Mysterious Guests: A Sukkot Story
By Eric A. Kimmel and Katya Krenina

This is one of my very favorite Jewish children’s books, one that mesmerizes my students year after year. Two brothers, one wealthy and greedy and the other poor and gracious, each build a sukkah. One sukkah is grand, the other modest. Each brother is greeted by three mysterious guests in their respective sukkahs, and these guests are treated in radically different ways. Upon their departure, the guests leave behind some unique gifts for each brother — gifts that reward generosity over everything and may cause one brother to change his selfish ways.

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The cover of Shanghai Sukkah, a Sukkot book for kids.
Shanghai Sukkah
By Heidi Smith Hyde and Jing Jing Tsong

On his tenth birthday, Marcus is not celebrating at home, but fleeing the Holocaust in Europe instead. He and his parents are on an ocean liner headed for China. Marcus worries his new neighborhood in Shanghai will never feel like home, but with the help of a new friend and a rabbi’s curious riddle, Marcus sets out to build a sukkah in his new home, right on the roof of their new building, just in time for Sukkot.

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The cover of Night Lights, a Sukkot book for kids.
Night Lights: A Sukkot Story
By Barbara Diamond Goldin and Amberin Huq

It’s nighttime, and Daniel and his sister Naomi are having an adventure. They are going to sleep in the sukkah — without any grownups! But — there’s nowhere in the sukkah to plug in a night light. And it’s a bit scary outside. Leave it to Naomi to help Daniel feel calmer — and to find a comforting way to remember their ancestors and the magic of Sukkot.

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On Sukkot and Simchat Torah
By Cathy Goldberg Fishman and Melanie W. Hall

Through beautiful illustrations and lyrical prose, this book is a perfect introduction to these two holidays. After the stillness and reflection of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, one family rings in the joy of Sukkot and Simchat Torah by performing celebratory traditions with family and friends, from building their own sukkah to dancing around the synagogue seven times when the Torah reading is finished and begun again. Beautiful!

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What is your favorite book about Sukkot? Let us know in the comments below!

Happy reading!

RELATED: We’ve got more than 100 children’s book lists on Happily Ever Elephants. Be sure to check out this link!

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Lauren

Hi! I’m Lauren. I’m a boy mom, former attorney, current elementary school librarian, and moderator of book clubs for kids around the country. My goal is to make storytime with your children both magical and meaningful. Welcome! LEARN MORE 

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