The Remembering Candle by Alison Goldberg and Selina Alko
The Remembering Candle by Alison Goldberg and Selina Alko
The Remembering Candle by Alison Goldberg and Selina Alko
The Remembering Candle by Alison Goldberg and Selina Alko
The Remembering Candle by Alison Goldberg and Selina Alko
The Remembering Candle by Alison Goldberg and Selina Alko

The Remembering Candle by Alison Goldberg and Selina Alko

$22.99 Sale • Save
Adding to Cart Added to Cart

Local Illustrator

Ages: 6–8 years

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.

  • Features the Jewish memorial tradition of a yahrzeit candle
  • Demonstrates how happy memories of our loved ones help us deal with grief
  • Endnotes with more on the Jewish calendar and memorial traditions

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. Her newest picture book, The Remembering Candle, illustrated by Selina Alko, is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection (Barefoot Books, 2025).

Her writing explores family stories, creative journeys, culture, and activism. Before becoming a children’s writer, she worked for economic justice organizations and also blogged about activism in children’s literature. She studied art history and anthropology at Tufts University and received a master’s degree in regional planning from Cornell University.

Selina Alko, award-winning writer and illustrator, spends her days blending words with mixed-media art to tell stories of hope, identity, and alternative perspectives. Raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Selina grew up immersed in culture and creativity. Her Turkish Jewish father—a painter and polyglot who spoke seven languages—and her Jewish mother, who worked in the family’s century-old metal recycling business, filled her world with rich stories, diverse viewpoints, and an appreciation for both art and resilience.

The creative influences of her childhood—infused with culture, history, and empathy—continue to inform Selina’s work. She brings these layers to each of her acclaimed children’s books, including The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage, Sharing Shalom, Daddy Christmas & Hanukkah Mama, B is for Brooklyn, I is for Immigrants, and Joni: The Lyrical Life of Joni Mitchell.

For more than two decades, Selina has called Brooklyn home, where she continues to find daily inspiration—in the rhythm of city streets, in neighborhood schools, and in the small but universal moments she observes as a parent. When she’s not working on a new book, you’ll likely find her reading, hiking, collaging in her sketchbook, or dance-walking through Prospect Park.

Buy it with