I am delighted to welcome Sarah Aroeste. I first met Sarah when I visited the Yiddish Book Center with PJ Library’s Tent Program several years ago, and I am thrilled to talk with her about her three new and upcoming books: ANYADA BUENA, SHANAH TOVAH (Kar-Ben, 2025), illustrated by Maria Mola; UNO, DOS, TRES: A SEPHARDIC COUNTING BOOK (PJ Publishing, 2025), illustrated by Nathalie Belhassen; and BAVAJADAS! IT’S JUST SILLY! (PJ Library Publishing, 2025), illustrated by Annabel Tempest.

Sarah is an acclaimed singer, songwriter, and author. She performs all over the world, bringing Ladino music to audiences everywhere. Her children’s books introduce young readers and their families to Ladino in an accessible way, creating appreciation for the ancient language.

How did your passion for Ladino connect you to writing books for children?

Growing up, I was always fascinated by my family’s stories, customs, songs and language, which differed from many of my Jewish friends. I especially fell in love with Ladino, the rich language of my Sephardic family who came from N. Macedonia and Greece. I eventually began a career in music, focusing on Ladino as a way to bring some of my Sephardic identity to life. About 10 years into my career, I became pregnant, and my music took a noticeable shift. I wanted to leave a legacy for my children, so I wrote an entire album of Ladino songs for kids! The response to that project was amazing, spawning an animated video series and additional educational materials. Sometime after, a Jewish publisher asked me if I’d ever consider turning one of my songs into a book. I hadn’t thought of it before! The result was my first book, Buen Shabbat, Shabat Shalom, which had its origins as a song I had written for a bilingual holiday album. I think everyone – including me – was floored by the positive reception (it was a first for a mainstream publisher to use Ladino in a board book), and I realized how much I liked using books as a medium to reach young ones. Five books later, I’m still here doing it! 

You are also a singer and a songwriter. How does the process of writing music compare to the process of writing books? 

There are certainly similarities in terms of cadence, rhythm, rhyme and musicality. But you can get away with a lot in music that you can’t in books – for example, eliding consonants, lengthening syllables to match a melody line, and more. The precision it takes to write books for kids – especially with a limited word count! – took some getting used to. Otherwise, thinking about the target audience and the messages I want to convey are similar in my children’s songs and books. In either case, I focus on simplicity, repetition, joy and heart – all with a Ladino backdrop.

Board books are for very young readers. What inspired you to write for this audience?

Board books are often a baby and their caregivers’ first entry point into Jewish culture. That’s powerful! There’s a responsibility there to make the book as engaging as possible to create positive associations from the start. For me, normalizing diversity at the youngest age is key. If readers can see Sephardic and Ladino representation in their first books, they’ll see it as a given when they’re older. Board books help supply tools for infants to learn not only new words, but also critical concepts such as pride, inclusion, empathy and a sense of community. There’s a lot you can pack in a book with fewer than 100 words! I think writing creative Jewish board books is one of the great gifts we can provide young families – they truly can help set the path forward for joyful Jewish engagement in the future.

What were your thoughts when you first saw the illustrations for your books?

It’s always such a magical moment to see your words bloom in color on a page. I’ve had the opportunity to have 5 different illustrators for my 5 books so far, and they are all so unique and special. For my most recent publications, I love equally the creative papercuts by Nathalie Belhassen in Uno, Dos, Tres: A Sephardic Counting Book, the soft wistfulness of Maria Mola’s brushstroke in Anyada Buena, Shanah Tovah, and Annabel Tempest’s bright animation style in Bavajadas! That’s Just Silly! Some have more of a Sephardic aesthetic than others, but they all have matched the tone and text so perfectly.

You have three new board books coming out, all featuring Ladino. What do you hope readers take away from your books?

First and foremost, Jewish culture is diverse! Even my newest books are so different from one another. The first, Uno, Dos, Tres: A Sephardic Counting Book, has very few words but 10 very important symbols that highlight what make Sephardic culture so colorful. From special hats (fezes) to cookies (biskochos), readers can see how Sephardic customs can be different (or similar!) to their own. In Anyada Buena, Shanah Tovah, I offer a look at the Sephardic Rosh Hashanah seder, a concept that might be unusual for those who don’t know that custom. I also hope readers will absorb and try using the Ladino new year greeting, Anyada Buena, during their holiday. And lastly, I want families to feel the JOY in these books. My final book to come out this year, Bavajadas! That’s Just Silly!, is an upside-down nonsense book. This one isn’t meant to convey a larger concept or message; its sole purpose is to feel joyful. It just happens to use one of my favorite Ladino words, bavajadas, which literally means “nonsense.” All in all, the joy in each of these books, whether you’re Sephardic or not (or not even Jewish!), is central.

Have there been any unexpected experiences that have evolved from writing children’s books?

That I get fan mail for writing them! I remember the first message I got from a parent of a Hispanic Jewish child who cried when her daughter pointed to a girl in one of my books thinking it was herself. In the kidlit space we talk a lot about mirrors and windows, and then to see it in practice having real impact on readers…wow. That inspires me to keep on writing!

Thank you, Sarah!

Determined to help bring Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) culture to a new generation, Sarah Aroeste, a Ladino singer, author and activist, draws upon her Sephardic family roots from Greece and Macedonia (via Medieval Spain!) to present original Ladino songs and prose to audiences around the globe. Since 2001, Aroeste has recorded eight Ladino albums, including “Ora de Despertar/Time to Wake Up! (2016)”, the first-ever all-original Ladino children’s album, and “Together/Endjuntos (2017)”, the first bilingual Ladino/English holiday album. Turning her attention to children’s books, Aroeste now writes board books and picture books incorporating Ladino and Sephardic themes to make them accessible – and fun! – for young families. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two young daughters, her constant sources of writing inspiration.

Tagged board book, Kar-Ben, PJ Publishing, Sarah Aroeste