The braids of challah include love, joy, and unity, and a missing babka leads to community. If you're seeking out books about Jewish joy, we've spotlighted two picture books sure to make readers glow. Bring snacks!

Offsay, Charlotte. Challah Day! illus. by Jason Kirschner. 40p. Holiday House. Aug. 2023. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9780823454112.
PreS-Gr 3–A delightful picture book chronicling the love, unity, and joy braided into a family’s loaf of challah bread. From start to finish, challah is the focus of this story. Rhyming text propels it, keeping readers familiar and unfamiliar with this delicious, traditional Jewish bread engaged. The ingredients, steps for kneading, braiding, and a taste test at Shabbat dinner are all portrayed in whimsical, cartoony illustrations. One particularly adorable spread features a child set in miniature jumping from ingredient to ingredient like a challah fairy. Back matter includes information about the origins and role of challah in Jewish life, plus a recipe for readers to try at home. In a time when Jewish people are facing violence and antisemitism, this book is an oasis of Jewish joy. VERDICT Not just for cultural collections, but for family shelves, children’s baking sections, and any collection that celebrates gatherings and love.–Maria Bohan

Wolpin, Marilyn. Bring Back the Babka! illus. by Madison Safer. 32p. Barefoot. Oct. 2023. Tr 17.99. ISBN 9798888590089.
PreS-Gr 2–A freshly baked cinnamon babka goes missing and two brothers, Sammy and Sol, and their dog Mazel are on the hunt. The trio travels through their neighborhood looking for the lost loaf, hoping to find it before Shabbat begins and Rabbi Sally arrives for the meal. The boys and their dog stop by house after house asking their neighbors for any potential sightings. Rather than finding the babka, they get the opportunity to sample the various foods being prepared, highlighting the diversity of Jewish cooking. The diversity extends beyond the cooking to the people themselves. Some of the neighbors are conservatively dressed, reflecting a more orthodox religion, while others are tattooed; an array of skin tones is shown across the population. The mystery of the missing babka is solved by the story’s end, and a community feast is shared. Back matter includes additional information about the dishes highlighted in the story as well as a recipe for babka. The illustrations are warm and friendly and have a timeless quality that embraces Jewish traditions as well as celebrates the future of a diverse Jewish community. VERDICT A food-filled mystery that celebrates the diversity of Jewish food and the Jewish community. Readers will be hungry by the story’s end!–John Scott