Kalaniot Books announced that it will release three new children’s picture books for the spring 2026 season:
- “Maya’s Journey: A Story of Two Great-Grandmothers” by Marcella White Campbell with illustrations by Olivia Smith (Release date: February 24)
When her teacher asks the class for family stories, Maya is stumped. That’s when her parents tell her the story of two of her great-grandmothers: Great-Grandma Essie crossed an ocean by herself to escape danger in Romania, and Great-Grandma Martha rode in a Jim Crow train car across the American South to seek fairness and freedom. The story was inspired by real events.
- “Tractor Zack on Sunshine Kibbutz” by Alice Blumenthal McGinty with illustrations by Rotem Teplow (Release date: April 7)
Set on an Israeli kibbutz, Tractor Zack loves his work, but when his engine is unable to work as well as it once did, he wonders if he will no longer be of use. But, with the help of some friends, Zack learns there is more than one way to be useful. The book also looks at how the holiday of Shavuot is celebrated on the kibbutz.
- “Day of Delight: A Jewish Sabbath in Ethiopia” by Maxine Rose Schur with illustrations by Brian Pinkney (Release date: April 21)
In the Ethiopian Jewish community, also known as Beta Israel, community members begin to prepare for Shabbat when the sun rises on Friday morning. The book focuses on the ways that Senvetu and his family work to create a meaningful “day of delight” that is filled with “purpose, tradition, and community.”
The following book covers are used with permission of Kalaniot Press.
