A new Jewish year means a fresh crop of Jewish books for kids.
Not one but two new Rosh Hashanah books are penned by Eric A. Kimmel, the storyteller whose popular, award-winning books include “Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins” and “Simon and the Bear.”
Kimmel’s latest entries are among the new crop of lively and engaging children’s books for the High Holy Days — books that reflect the wide range of today’s American Jewish families.
In “Little Red Rosie: A Rosh Hashanah Story,” Kimmel writes the story of a confident young girl who enlists the help of her numerous feathered friends to bake challah for the neighborhood Rosh Hashanah dinner. 
The book is suggested for children ages 3 to 7.
With an illustrated recipe in hand, Rosie gently leads a parrot, toucan and hornbill as they measure flour, add eggs, knead the dough and braid it into loaves. In one of the illustrations — sure to tickle young ones — poppy seeds fly through the air and land all over the kitchen table and floor.
“Who will help me clean the kitchen?” Rosie asks.
They all pitch in, and Rosie saves the day when she prevents the hornbill from toppling a teetering tower of dirty dishes. When the lovely loaves are baked, Rosie and her friends recite the blessing over the challah, and the neighbors who gather around the festive table all enjoy the bread.
“Gabriel’s Horn,” also by Kimmel, takes place on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, when a young African American soldier knocks on the door of the apartment where a young boy, Gabriel, lives with his parents, who are struggling to hang on to their small antiques shop. The book is for 4- to 9-year-olds.
The soldier explains he is going overseas and has no one to care for his special horn that once belonged to his grandpa, a musician, and brings good luck. Gabriel convinces his reluctant mom they can care for the horn. The name on the soldier’s uniform says Tishbi — the birthplace of the prophet Elijah, who is said to appear mysteriously on Earth, often disguised as a beggar who leaves behind him blessings of good fortune or health.
The theme of tzedakah shines through Kimmel’s heartwarming tale as Gabriel’s family selflessly shares its sudden good fortune through acts of kindness and generosity. Page after page, kids will wonder along with Gabriel if their newfound luck is related to the soldier and his tarnished, mysterious horn.
IKimmel, who lives in Portland, Oregon, said “Gabriel’s Horn” is a modern version of an old folktale based on a biblical Midrash. A well-known version, “The Seven Years,” was penned by famous Yiddish author I.L. Peretz, and Kimmel first retold the tale in his award-winning 1991 children’s book “Days of Awe.” “Gabriel’s Horn” revisits and contemporizes the story.
Kimmel said he continues to return to folk traditions because he sees them as the roots of so many stories.
“I really don’t think kids today know them well, and often their parents and teachers don’t know them, either,” he said. “They are so powerful.”
Tracy Newman’s book “Rosh Hashanah is Coming!” is a 12-page board book that parents can read to their toddlers. In lively and colorful fashion, families can usher in the Jewish New Year with this book, the fifth in a board-book series on Jewish holidays by Newman and illustrator Viviana Garofoli; others include “Shabbat is Coming!” and “Passover is Coming!”
The theme of the book is simple: Young kids braid a round challah, blow the shofar, set out apples and honey and enjoy a juicy pomegranate as they get ready to celebrate the new year.
In “Maya Prays for Rain,” a spunky young girl greets her neighbors in her multicultural town on a warm fall day. The book is for ages 4 to 9.
While everyone is taking advantage of the nice weather by partaking in outdoor activities, Maya learns that the evening’s synagogue service for the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret includes a prayer for rain. So she warns her neighbors to cancel their plans! Much to Maya’s relief, she learns from her rabbi that the prayer is for Israel, where rain is needed for crops and trees. The back page includes an explanation of the lesser-known holiday that comes after Sukkot.
n “Sky-High Sukkah” Leah and Ari are two friends who dream of having a sukkah of their own — but living in the city poses too many obstacles, their parents tell them. Rachel Ornstein Packer’s book is for children ages 3 to 8.
The kids reveal their sad predicament to Al, the neighborhood grocer, and explain that during the seven-day holiday, Jewish families build a hut that they decorate with fruits like the ones Al sells. Ari then draws a picture of a “Sky-High Sukkah” that wins a Hebrew school drawing contest for a free sukkah.
It’s an endearing story that concludes happily as Leah and Ari discover that building community is just as rewarding as building a beautiful sukkah. The lively illustrations capture the bustling urban neighborhood and bring to life the harvest holiday with bright reds, greens, purples and oranges.
“How It’s Made: Torah Scroll” describes what a Torah scroll is and how it’s made in photo essay form. It’s a perfect book for Simchat Torah, the holiday that marks the end of the cycle of weekly Torah readings and the beginning of the new cycle.
Aimed at kids 3 to 8, the book gives both kids and grownups a behind-the-scenes look at what is involved in the process; it breaks down the many people, steps and materials involved, from hand-stretched parchment, special inks, and feather and reed pens. The meticulous rules for the calligraphy are also addressed, as are other facts, such as there are 304,805 letters in a Torah scroll. The book also includes open-ended questions for discussion (such as: how do you fix mistakes?) and instructions for DIY projects.
“Little Red Rosie: A Rosh Hashanah Story” by 
Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Monica Gutierrez (32 pages, Apples & Honey Press, ages 3-7)
“Gabriel’s Horn” by 
Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Maria Surducan (32 pages, Kar-Ben, ages 4-9)
“Rosh Hashanah is Coming!” by Tracy Newman, illustrated by Viviana Garofoli (board book, 12 pages, Kar-Ben, ages 1-4)
“Maya Prays for Rain” by 
Susan Tarcov, illustrated by Ana Ochoa 
(32 pages, Kar-Ben, ages 4-9)
“Sky-High Sukkah” by 
Rachel Ornstein Packer, illustrated by Deborah Zemke (32 pages, Apples & Honey Press, ages 3-8)
“How It’s Made: Torah Scroll” by Allison Ofanansky (32 pages, Apples & Honey Press, ages 3-8)