Barbara Lerman-Golomb

Praise for The Sukkah Hop

* Barbara Lerman-Golomb has written an adorable picture book that will delight the little ones. This Sukkot book introduces the concept of Sukkah hopping as families visit different sukkahs. The catchy rhymes have an easy rhythm that invites the listener to chant along. The cute illustrations by Talia Drigues complement the author's text perfectly as kids learn about many Sukkot activities: decorating a sukkah with either arts and crafts or gourds, waving the lulav and etrog, eating and partying, and enjoying the sukkah under the stary sky. The pages are filled with people of different complexions and all ages and several animals.

I shared this book with my preschool aged grandchild who is learning to read. The predictable text makes it easy for preschoolers to predict the phrase at the end of each rhyme. I liked the fact that the words "Sukkah One" up to "Sukkah Four" are in extra large blue font making it easy to reinforce the word sukkah and the counting words for early readers. My grandchild enjoyed the catchy rhymes and loved looking at the details to see the animals antics. Even a few tiny birds get into the act! We read a downloadable review copy from the publisher on a tablet, but I can't wait to add the print copy to my bookcase!

~ Storybook Lady

* Kids will have a hoot bopping along with a multi-generational procession of families and friends as they visit each others’ sukkahs in this book that illustrates the popular community tradition of the sukkah hop. Barbara Lerman-Golomb’s simple, rhyming verse comes alive in Talia Drigues’ colorful illustrations.

~ Penny Schwartz, Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA)

*A well-rhymed board book that takes readers along on a sukkah hop, as the neighbors visit one sukkah after another to celebrate the harvest holiday. Whimsical illustrations show a delightfully diverse Jewish community.

~ Association of Jewish Libraries' best Jewish holiday children’s books of Fall 2026.

*The cus­tom of the ​“sukkah hop” is a pop­u­lar expres­sion of com­mu­ni­ty in Jew­ish life. The excite­ment of walk­ing from home to home, shar­ing meals and prayer with the extend­ed com­mu­ni­ty in addi­tion to fam­i­ly mem­bers, adds a spe­cial dimen­sion to the obser­vance of the fall fes­ti­val. The Sukkah Hop cap­tures the joy of this tra­di­tion in sim­ple rhyming text and col­or­ful pic­tures, mak­ing it a per­fect intro­duc­tion to Sukkot for young children.

Talia Drigues’ illus­tra­tions fea­ture a com­bi­na­tion of real­ism and car­toon-like play­ful­ness. The fam­i­ly on the first page is full of enthu­si­asm. The mother’s over­sized eye­glass­es lend a com­ic touch to the scene. The daugh­ter car­ries an over­flow­ing tote bag of paper chains for dec­o­ra­tions; her mother’s choco­late chip cook­ies also seem about to slide off the tray she is car­ry­ing. Much of Bar­bara Ler­man-Golombs’ text is framed by the walls of the sukkah, while on oth­er pages the words appear against a back­ground of sky.

All the impor­tant ele­ments of Sukkot share space in the sto­ry. There are arts and crafts to enhance the sukkah, ener­getic shak­ing of the lulav, plen­ti­ful food, and many dif­fer­ent kinds of peo­ple. A preg­nant woman, an old­er one using a walk­er, a fam­i­ly with two dads, and com­mu­ni­ty mem­bers with a range of skin and hair col­ors, high­light plu­ral­ism. The autumn sea­son brings ​“pump­kins, gourds, and green­ery,” and, when night falls, the space between the s’chach on the roof allows those with­in the sukkah to count the stars.

An ele­ment of fan­ta­sy in this oth­er­wise real­is­tic pic­ture involves the inter­ac­tions between two birds seat­ed on top of the sukkah. In one illus­tra­tion, a bird looks up at the stars through a tiny tele­scope while his com­pan­ion strums a bird-sized gui­tar. In anoth­er illus­tra­tion, one bird con­ducts while the oth­er sings. There is a lot of activ­i­ty to share with chil­dren in this cheer­ful­ly acces­si­ble and high­ly rec­om­mend­ed book.

~ Emily Schneider, Jewish Book Council

*In Barbara Lerman-Golomb’s board book The Sukkah Hop, illustrated by Talia Drigues, a family celebrates Sukkot by visiting a different sukkah each day. At each stop, they participate in holiday festivities, including making decorations, shaking the lulav and etrog, and more. The rhyme is engaging, and the bold illustrations beautifully depict the joy of the holiday.
~Barbara Bietz, JewishBooksForKids.com

*With a cast of diverse characters, readers move from one sukkah to the next, discovering the joys of sukkah hopping. This charming board book provides a wonderful opportunity for out little ones to experience the holiday festivities. Highly recommended for preschoolers.

~Liza Wiemer, Jewish Standard, Our Children