Sukkot books for kids: what it is and how to celebrate
When is Sukkot? Friday 15 October 2027 to Friday 22 October 2027.
Sukkot is a week-long Jewish harvest festival. Families build a sukkah, a small hut with a roof of branches you can see the sky through, to remember the Israelites living in shelters in the desert and to give thanks for the harvest.
Who celebrates Sukkot, and books for each
Jewish
Families eat meals (and some sleep) in the sukkah, decorate it with fruit and children's paper chains, and wave the lulav (palm, myrtle and willow) with the etrog, a lemon-like fruit.
📖 Free guideEngineer Ari and the Sukkah Express
Deborah Bodin Cohen
friends along a railway help build a sukkah
Questions to ask → View on Amazon ↗
📖 Free guideSammy Spider's First Sukkot
Sylvia A. Rouss
shapes, a sukkah and a curious spider, for the youngest
Questions to ask → View on Amazon ↗
Questions to ask while you read
Use these with any of the Sukkot books on this page. Pick two or three, and there are no wrong answers.
- What is the family in the story getting ready for?
- Which part of Sukkot would you most like to try, and why?
- How do the people in the story show they care about each other?
- Is anything in the story like something your family does?
- What would you like to ask a friend who celebrates Sukkot?
Ways to celebrate Sukkot with children
- Build a mini sukkah from a shoebox and leafy twigs.
- Make paper chains to decorate it, and eat a snack 'under the stars'.
- Talk about times you were thankful for a safe home.
- Collect autumn leaves and fruit for a harvest display.
Sukkot picture books at a glance
All the Sukkot books on this page: Engineer Ari and the Sukkah Express (Deborah Bodin Cohen), Sammy Spider's First Sukkot (Sylvia A. Rouss).
Questions parents ask about Sukkot
Why can you see the sky through a sukkah roof?
The roof (schach) is made of branches or leaves laid loosely, as a reminder that the shelters in the desert were temporary and that people depend on more than walls.
Related festivals: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur · Harvest Festival · Hanukkah
All festivals, by month and by faith →
Traditions vary between families, places and communities; ask your child's friends and their families how they celebrate. As an Amazon Associate, Growing Wise earns from qualifying purchases.