Alison Goldberg’s newest picture book, THE REMEMBERING CANDLE (Barefoot Books, 2025), illustrated by Selina Alko, is a gentle story about love, loss, and grief. Through the introduction of a yahrzeit candle, a young boy honors his late grandfather with loving memories. The ethereal collage illustrations perfectly complement the text, conveying the story in a heartfelt and empathetic way. Featuring informative backmatter, THE REMEMBERING CANDLE will surely provide children and families with comfort. I’m delighted to welcome Alison back to chat about this important book.

THE REMEMBERING CANDLE introduces young readers to the Jewish practice of lighting a yahrzeit candle to honor a loved one who has died. It’s not an easy topic for a picture book, but it’s so important. Can you tell me a bit about what inspired you to write the story?

Several years ago, I was looking for picture books for children who had experienced loss. That’s when I learned that few picture books included Jewish mourning traditions, and none that I could find discussed yahrzeit. Because I’ve appreciated these traditions at different moments in my life, I was inspired to write The Remembering Candle.

I think yahrzeit is a beautiful ritual, and it’s also one that’s accessible for kids. Children are familiar with candles, such as during birthdays or Hanukkah, so they already understand that candle-lighting can have symbolism. In the case of yahrzeit, a candle is lit on the anniversary each year of the day someone died. It burns from sunset to sunset. The candle keeps the time as family members share stories, memories, and light.

The story focuses on a family’s memory of their grandfather. How do you think sharing stories helps us heal from loss?

It is sad and hard to lose someone, and everyone has their own experience with grief and mourning. For me, telling stories and sharing memories offers some comfort because it is a way to keep the people I’ve lost with me. 

While I was working on this book and reading about Jewish mourning rituals, I learned about the cultural idea that people shouldn’t grieve alone. Gathering to share stories seems to be a fundamental part of what observing yahrzeit is about. In The Remembering Candle, the family observes Grandpa’s yahrzeit in a number of ways, like playing piano, looking at the stars, and enjoying a food he loved. In the process, they keep their memories of him burning bright.

Another important aspect of yahrzeit I wanted to share with kids through this book is that it is a yearly ritual. We don’t grieve once and then forget. Yahrzeit observances invite us to return to our memories over years.

What were your thoughts when you first saw the collage illustrations by Selina Alko? 

Selina’s illustrations are stunning! They create the perfect mood for this story. I love all the layers she embedded in the collage. The compositions feel pieced together the way memories do, with old stories retold and holding new meaning.

A visual element that struck me right away is the melting candle on the right side of each spread. The reader can keep track of how much the candle has burned from one scene to the next.

And the endpapers are gorgeous, with two bright sunsets bookending the story. I feel very lucky that Selina illustrated this book.

You include backmatter explaining further about Jewish rituals. Was it challenging to write about serious topics in a way that is accessible to young readers? 

While the story focuses on a child’s experience with yahrzeit, the backmatter provided an opportunity to discuss how yahrzeit is one of many Jewish memorial traditions. I wanted to communicate to young readers that these rituals are observed in varying ways, and families can incorporate the elements that feel appropriate for them. To make this accessible, I focused on the broader themes: community, storytelling, and care.

I think the hardest part was explaining the calendars! A yahrzeit is based on an anniversary, and some people light the candle according to the date in the Jewish calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar. After reading a lot about solar and lunisolar calendars, I wrote a paragraph on this and how the calendars differ from each other. Then my editor Lisa Rosinsky had the terrific idea of turning this information into a table.

What do you hope readers take away from the story?

Loss is part of life; I think it’s important to talk about mourning and remembrance with children, and to share approaches for how they might process it. I hope that readers will take away an expression of a ritual that they can use and adapt in their lives if they need one.

Thank you, Alison.

Alison Goldberg is the author of fiction and nonfiction picture books. She often finds writing inspiration from family stories and thinking about the ways that stories can connect people across generations. Alison lives near Boston, Massachusetts.

Tagged Alison Goldberg, Barefoot Books, picture book