Alison Goldberg, Author

The Remembering Candle is a winner of the National Jewish Book Award!

Thank you to the Jewish Book Council for this incredible honor!

Mentioned in the Boston Globe, 3/7/26:

I’m honored that The Remembering Candle has been named a 2026 Sydney Taylor Book Awards Notable title by the Association of Jewish Libraries!

Thank you to the Sydney Taylor Book Awards Committee for this wonderful recognition.

I’m excited to share the cover of my next picture book, The Remembering Candle, illustrated by Selina Alko, available from Barefoot Books on 8/12/25!

This story explores a child’s first experience of lighting a yahrzeit candle with his family—the Jewish memorial tradition of lighting a special candle on the anniversary of the day a person died. From one sunset to the next, they share stories, memories, and light.

I’m looking forward to sharing The Remembering Candle later this year.

Preorder now:

Find bookstore links here.

Signed copies are available from Porter Square Books.

The book summary:

From one sunset to the next, join a child and his family as they light a yahrzeit candle in remembrance of his grandfather and all of the beautiful memories they have with him.

A peaceful celebration of the memories our loved ones leave with us when they pass.

I was sad when Grandpa died. I think about how sad Mom was too.
Mom says she misses Grandpa, but all her memories are like shining lights.

Grandpa died last November. Now, one year later on the anniversary of his death, a boy and his family light a special candle. It’s not a birthday, Hanukkah, or Shabbat candle. It’s a yahrzeit candle in remembrance of him, and it will burn all night and all day tomorrow until sunset. But why does it burn for so long?

The boy and his family spend the next night and day remembering Grandpa and sharing stories with each other. From his stylish hats, to piano duets, and apple squares for dessert, warm memories of Grandpa shine like stars with them while the yahrzeit candle burns – and continue to shine when it goes out.

Eighteen Flowers for Grandma: A Gift of Chai

By Alison Goldberg and illustrated by Jesse White

Eighteen Flowers for Grandma releases today from Red Comet Press! We are so excited to send this book out into the world!

About Eighteen Flowers for Grandma

A celebration of family, culture, and the enduring bond between generations.

Sadie’s grandmother is studying art and invites Sadie to learn and share her passion. But Sadie’s grandmother passes on more than her love of art to her grandchild; she also shares her knowledge of Jewish cultural traditions. Sadie learns about the meaning of “chai”—the Hebrew word for life—and the significance of the lucky number eighteen. Her grandmother will soon graduate from college, so Sadie commits herself to finding a perfect way to celebrate with a gift that combines her love of art and newly learned traditions.

“A gentle tale of intergenerational bonding that will appeal to budding artists.”—Kirkus Reviews

How our grandmothers inspired Eighteen Flowers for Grandma

Alison: This story is inspired by my own grandmother, Eva Dersofi, who graduated from college when she was seventy-eight years old. She had taken some college classes as a young adult but didn’t have the chance to finish her program. When she was in her seventies, she attended a local community college to pursue her love of art. Eventually, she realized that with only a few more courses, she could receive her degree. Eva’s commitment to lifelong learning is one of the seeds of this book. As I developed the story, I thought about how it was art that drew my grandmother back to school. Eva gave me my first oil paints and easel, and I loved to draw with pastels at her kitchen table. In Eighteen Flowers for Grandma I wrote about a grandma who shares art with her granddaughter, like Eva did with me.

Jesse: The sharing of creativity across generations, as Eighteen Flowers for Grandma shows us, is such a beautiful, powerful concept–and it’s one that I was able to explore and understand more deeply thanks to my own grandmother. Although she’d probably never think of or introduce herself as an artist, she was just that. My grandmother created lovely watercolor paintings, often to illustrate original poems and prayers that she wrote. In addition to being a creator herself, she was also a big supporter of my dad’s journey as an artist and in turn, my own. I have one of her pieces hanging on the wall in my studio; it’s a lovely reminder of her and of the connection we share through art. I looked at it often while I was creating the illustrations for our book, allowing special memories of my grandmother to help guide my understanding of Sadie’s relationship to hers.

The book!

Order now

Eighteen Flowers for Grandma is available where books are sold.

Order copies from our local independent bookstores:

Alison: Porter Square Books in Cambridge, MA
Jesse: Golden Fig Books in Durham, NC

Or find the links for other booksellers.

Book launch events

Alison will read the book and share an art activity at these events.

Author and illustrator bios

Alison Goldberg is a writer based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the author of I Love You for Miles and Miles. She also wrote the award-winning nonfiction picture book Bottle Tops, a biography of the Ghanaian artist El Anatsui. Eighteen Flowers for Grandma was inspired by her own grandmother, who graduated from college at the age of seventy-eight. You can visit Alison online at alisongoldberg.com.

Jesse White is an illustrator, author, and muralist who creates whimsical, wonder-filled work about imagination and adventure. Nature is her core throughline, a focus that comes from her childhood in rural North Carolina. Jesse graduated with a BFA in studio art from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned her master’s in art education from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her first author-illustrator project, Brave Like Fireweed, was recently published by Union Square Kids. She lives in Durham, North Carolina. Visit Jesse online at www.jessewhiteillustration.com.

Eighteen Flowers for Grandma will be released in 18 days!

To celebrate, I’m sharing one of the wonderful illustrations by Jesse White from inside the book. In this scene, Sadie and Grandma dance the hora at a family wedding. I love how this image is filled with movement, music, and joy.

I recently spoke with Barbara Bietz at Jewish Books for Kids about some of the Jewish art forms I included in Eighteen Flowers for Grandma. Here’s an excerpt from our conversation:

When I set out to write a story about the milestone of a graduation, I thought about some of the art forms that I associate with happy occasions. Dancing the hora, klezmer music, and the symbolism of the chai necklace convey the joy I wanted to weave into the book. These art forms make me think about celebrating significant events with family and friends.

You can read the rest of the interview here.

Eighteen Flowers for Grandma will be available from Red Comet Press on 9/24/24. Preorder now where you buy books.

And if you are in the Boston area, please join me at an event.

Eighteen Flowers for Grandma, illustrated by Jesse White, releases from Red Comet Press on Sept 24th. I’m very excited to share this book—in particular, because it was inspired by my own grandmother!

To celebrate its release, I have book events scheduled at two wonderful independent bookstores. I’m also looking forward to participating in the Newton Children’s Book Festival in December. If you are in the area, please join me! More details here.

I’m excited to share the cover of Eighteen Flowers for Grandma: A Gift of Chai illustrated by Jesse White and available from Red Comet Press on 9/24/24!

This story was inspired by my own grandma who graduated from college at the age of seventy-eight. She loved painting and photography, and she went back to school in her seventies to pursue art. I wanted to honor her lifelong commitment to learning and creativity through a story that highlights the Jewish tradition of giving chai–a symbolic gift of life. I’m thrilled to partner with Jesse White and Red Comet Press on this project. I love this sweet cover!

Preorder now! Signed copies are available from my wonderful local indie Porter Square Books.

Here’s the book summary:
A celebration of family, culture, and the enduring bond between generations.

Sadie’s grandmother is studying art and invites Sadie to learn and share her passion. But Sadie’s grandmother passes on more than her love of art to her grandchild; she also shares her knowledge of Jewish cultural traditions. Sadie learns about the meaning of “chai”—the Hebrew word for life—and the significance of the lucky number eighteen. Her grandmother will soon graduate from college, so Sadie commits herself to finding a perfect way to celebrate with a gift that combines her love of art and newly learned traditions.

Learn more at Red Comet Press.