In the Zionist monopolized realm of Jewish children’s literature, Never Again for Anyone by Stacy Friedman, illustrated by Elly Stern, is both startling and hopeful. A bold Canadian publisher, Arsenal Pulp Press, has opened new territory with a story about a Jewish child who takes action for Palestinian liberation, grounded in his Jewish values and family history. Lev learns about the antisemitism faced by his great grandmother and is proud that his bubbie stood up to end discrimination against everyone. When Lev sees his Palestinian school friend marching for Palestine, he and his mother join in chanting “Free Free Palestine.”

This groundbreaking book for ages 6-10 offers validation to pro-Palestinian Jewish families who are almost never represented in children’s books. The book respects Jewish children who, regardless of family politics, have a right to learn a range of options for living Jewishly during a time of escalating Israeli genocide. By centering Palestinian rights in a book about Jews, the story establishes Jews as a politically diverse group, which is crucial for all children forced to struggle against racist messaging and critical to undermining antisemitism.

But the challenge of writing an age-appropriate picture book on such a big and fraught topic is also apparent. In 28 short pages, the story condenses a series of unlikely facts – Lev is grounded in an observant Jewish family; Lev’s family has a social justice lineage; Lev has a Palestinian friend, Ameera, at school;and  Lev and his mother both support Palestinian rights unapologetically. And then, incredibly, a pro-Palestine march happens to pass in the street outside their home! Lev and his mother deploy the iconic phrase, “Never Again,” usually used to oppose antisemitic violence like that perpetrated during the European Holocaust. They make a sign that says, “Never Again for Anyone,” a phrase frequently seen at anti-genocide rallies. Lev and his mother join the march and run into Ameera and her mother. The book ends with Ameera and her mother joining Lev and his mother for Shabbat dinner – the smell of their freshly baked Challah bread wafting next to a wedge of watermelon, the sabbath candles burning next to bubbie’s picture, the protest sign, a kuffiyeh, and a Palestinian flag decorating the space.

The story of Never Again for Anyone is not a fantasy. There are plenty of anti-Zionist Jews raising pro-Palestinian, pro-justice children, rooted in both Jewish identity and Palestinian relationships. But the trajectory is not usually so compressed, and the context isn’t usually so free of opposition. Never Again for Anyone simplifies the bigger and more nuanced story of Jewish relationships to the Israeli state and the growing worldwide opposition to it. As such, it offers a possible end point, an objective, but sidelines the challenges of getting there. Both character development and plot are weakened as a result.

Still, this lovingly crafted book can be the cornerstone in a library packed with other books that let children grapple with the real-life complexities of anti-Palestinian racism, Israeli colonialism, Zionism and other forms of supremacist ideology, Jewish identity, and social responsibility. Since that diverse array of books doesn’t yet exist, Never Again for Anyone is a fantastic start. The colorful illustrations celebrating the co-liberation of Jews and Palestinians from Zionist divide-and-conquer tactics are a gift in and of themselves.