The olive harvest in Israel is a special time. See how the tiny spring flowers blossom into green fruit, then ripen into shiny black olives. Watch the olives as they're gathered, sorted, and pressed into oil. Then celebrate Hanukkah with an Israeli family, as they use the oil to light their Hanukkah menorah. Come and enjoy the harvest of light.

It’s Rosh Chodesh, the beginning of a new month in the Jewish calendar! In celebration of this monthly event, a family goes out to the Negev Desert to camp out and observe the moon.

A photo essay about the changing phases of the moon and their relationship to the Jewish calendar, this beautifully photographed book explains the basics of the Jewish calendar, which is based on the moon rather than the sun. Instructions for building a papier mache moon are included.

This book is the fifth in Kar-Ben’s “Nature in Israel” holiday series by this author/photographer team.

Esther of the Purim story wonders whether it is a good idea to answer the summons when the king seeks a new Queen.

Set in Morocco, this sweet story of friendship and shared customs between a Jewish family and their Muslim neighbors provides a great introduction to the Moroccan Jewish holiday of Mimouna. It's Mimouna -- the Moroccan Jewish holiday that marks the end of Passover, and when blessings are given for a year of prosperity and good luck. Miriam wants to help her mother make the sweet moufletot pancakes they always eat at their Mimouna party, but after following the rules of Passover, they don't have any flour in the house! So Miriam's mother takes her to visit their Muslim neighbors, who are happy to share. The women drink tea together, and Miriam makes friends with a young girl named Jasmine. Miriam almost drops the bag of flour when she and Jasmine go to fetch it from the storeroom -- but luckily Jasmine is there to catch it! Jasmine and her family then join Miriam's family and friends to celebrate Mimouna. This sweet story of friendship and shared customs will introduce North American readers to the Mimouna holiday. The book concludes with an author's note and a recipe for making moufletot, the sweet, paper-thin pancakes featured in the story, so that readers can enjoy, too. Key Text Features recipes author's note Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.2 Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.6 Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.

This photographic picture book shows how Hanukkah menorahs are made step-by-step.

Learn how a Torah scroll is made step-by-step in this photographic picture book.

How IS matzah made? A step-by-step exploration in photographs.