ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
BIOGRAPHIES
Michelson, Richard

Fanny's Big Idea: How Jewish Book Week Was Born

40 pp. | Penguin/Rocky Pond | November, 2025 | Trade ISBN 9798217003259 $18.99
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Alyssa Russell. This amiable picture-book biography introduces librarian Fanny Goldstein (1895–1961) with a focus on her youth and early career, leading up to her 1925 conception of Jewish Book Week. Young Fanny, a Russian Jewish immigrant living in Boston, proudly studied and shared Jewish traditions despite admonitions to be “more American.” The cheerful (if at times oversimplified) text continues to emphasize Goldstein’s pride in her heritage along with her welcoming spirit toward other immigrants as she is appointed a Boston Public Library branch director. The story culminates with Goldstein, after noting that “the great mass of Jewish people [were] not interested in books written by Jews, or about Jews,” hosting a week-long celebration of Hanukkah at her library, which included a display of Jewish books, the first-ever to be exhibited in a U.S. public library. She encourages Jewish and non-Jewish readers alike to read these books, echoing a lesson from her bubbe: “The more you know about someone’s life, the harder it is not to like them.” Michelson (What Louis Brandeis Knows, rev. 11/25) offers a positive portrayal of a Jewish figure’s contributions, with Russell’s winsome digitally created illustrations reflecting “period-specific research.” Back matter picks up where the main text leaves off, citing Goldstein’s further work, often celebrating other underrepresented cultures. A ­bibliography is also appended.
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2026

RELATED 

BIOGRAPHIES

A Banquet for Cecilia
by Leung, Julie
BIOGRAPHIES

Elsa's Chessboard
by Andrus, Jenny
BIOGRAPHIES

His Fairytale Life
by Yolen, Jane
BIOGRAPHIES

Who Is Amy Schneider?
by , Schneider, Amy & Stone, Tanya Lee
BIOGRAPHIES

Malcolm Lives!
by Kendi, Ibram X.
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?