On a chilly day in January, PJ Library in New York held its first Jewish Children’s Book Festival in the Upper East Side with support from UJA-Federation of New York and 92NY. More than 2,000 families attended the event, which was set up as a marketplace with free books for children to browse and take home, alongside hands-on activities, a concert, workshops, author meet-and-greets and book signings that added to the buzz.   

As chief philanthropy officer at PJ Library, I attended the event in a professional capacity. But I was also there as a Jewish parent and neighbor, part of the same community as many families in attendance from the surrounding Manhattan neighborhood. My children have long aged out of PJ Library, but the moment I walked in, I was transported back to those early years of parenting: the rush of excitement when entering a bookstore or library, my kids running ahead, and me trying to hold both their joy and the familiar refrain of “no running” in the same breath. I also found myself thinking about the Jewish stories that were available to my children at the time — and the ones that weren’t.  

Courtesy/PJ Library

PJ Library held its first ever Jewish Children’s Book Festival at the 92NY in New York City in January 2026.

Ten years ago, an event like this didn’t exist. Here, children could choose books with characters who reflected a full range of Jewish identities and histories. There were children’s books available in Spanish, Russian, and Hebrew; stories about celebrating Shabbat in different ways, and even books that included Yiddish and Ladino. Several Persian children who attended reflected that seeing Etan Basseri’s Persian Passover on the table gave them a chance to witness a main character with their shared last name and culture.  

Books and learning have always played an essential role in Jewish life. Wherever Jewish communities have settled, texts helped preserve traditions, stories, and practices. It is one reason Jews have long been known as the “People of the Book.” Storytelling is a rich part of Jewish tradition, and yet, modern children’s literature has often fallen short in reflecting the vastness of Jewish identities and experiences.  

Today, on April 23, PJ Library recognizes World Book Day, a global celebration of books and their power to connect people across generations and cultures. The day also marks PJ Library’s annual day of giving — a 24-hour call to support the stories and histories of the Jewish people with families raising Jewish children in New York and around the globe.  

On World Book Day, let’s celebrate the power of stories and help our children develop a love of reading, finding connections to those who came before them and those who look like them today. But let’s also look inward and explore our unique roots to reclaim the histories that have shaped us.  

PJ Library’s Sephardic Stories Initiative, now in its third year, gives us a chance to do just that. The fellowship invests in elevating the voices of emerging Sephardi writers to reflect the full diversity of our Jewish communities. These talented writers, artists, and scholars bring life to the Jewish identities that formed within local cultures, and the distinct languages, foods, customs, and traditions rooted in Sephardic, Ethiopian and Mizrahi traditions, histories and lived experiences.  

But this effort cannot belong to one program alone. It’s on all of us to share the stories of the Jewish people. 

We might not all be writers, but our unique stories and collective memories are just as important. Not every Jewish story follows the same path, or looks the same, and when those stories go untold, we risk leaving people behind. When we share them, we expand what it means to belong.  

The demand for Jewish books and meaningful resources for young families raising Jewish children has never been greater, or more urgent. At a time when antisemitism and misinformation are rising, the stories we tell shape how our children see themselves, who they become, and how they engage with the world. The stories we elevate signal who belongs, whose voices matter, and how children come to understand both their own identities and those of others.  

When my children were little, the number of quality Jewish books that represented our story were limited. Now, thanks in no small part to the two decades of work accomplished by PJ Library and our many partners across the Jewish professional, philanthropic, and publishing worlds, there are so many more representative Jewish stories for today’s young children to see themselves in.  

The children and families at 92NY were not just choosing books. They were finding pieces of their own stories and discovering others. That is what books make possible. On World Book Day, supporting the stories children have access to is one way to ensure that Jewish life, in all its variety, continues to be celebrated, shared and passed on from generation to generation.  

What story will you pass on?  

Lara Knuettel is the chief philanthropy officer for PJ Library, a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.