The Children’s Book Awards return to spotlight new fiction and illustration with a Jewish angle

The Jewish Children’s Book Awards is calling for entries for its annual award that aims to bring attention to new Jewish literature for children.

The awards were set up in 2021, born from Green Bean Books publisher Michael Leventhal’s belief that the Jewish community needs more inspiring children’s stories. “We are lucky to have an incredibly rich and diverse culture and we have a wonderful treasure chest of stories that can excite our children about their heritage. The awards are a way of discovering new Jewish stories for children, and an opportunity for unpublished writers and illustrators to be given an international platform.”

The awards are comprised of two separate categories: the story submission must be Jewish in content, either inspired or informed by Jewish history, folklore, values, festivals or texts. Submissions are invited from authors living in Europe and the UK and should be suitable for readers aged between four and eight years old. For the illustration prize, applicants are invited to create a front cover for a much-loved Yiddish folk story, A Squash and a Squeeze. Each winner will receive a £1,000 prize and the winning story will be considered for publication by Green Bean Books.

Last year’s winning story, And Eddie Had An Egg by UK-based Dina Leifer, is a charming tale of a boy who is a fussy eater but eventually outwits his parents. The book will be published by Green Bean Books in 2024. Italian artist Mel Zohar won the illustration category with her bright and engaging images of an ever-growing challah.

By Laura Howard

Illustrations by Mel Zohar

Submissions for the Jewish Children’s Book Awards must be made by Monday 23 October. Winners will be announced in spring 2024. Visit greenbeanbooks.com for further details.

This article appears in the Summer 2023 issue of JR.