The Goblins of Knottingham: A History of Challah

Long ago, in the town of Knottingham, there were three little goblins.

Knotty was naughty, Knotsalot was no good, and Notnow was no good, no how, not then and not now!

More than anything else, these mischievous goblins liked to tangle children's hair! Find out how the children fought back, and how their tangled hair led to the unlikely invention of a braided bread called challah...

About the Author

Zoë Klein is the author of the acclaimed novel, Drawing in the Dust. She serves as a spiritual leader of Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles.

About the Illustrator

Beth Bogert is a children's illustrator. Her work has appeared in Highlights for Children, Babybug magazine, and more.

Reviews for The Goblins of Knottingham

"A silly and appealing picture book, this is the story of a classroom filled with children who are plagued daily by three goblins who love to tangle their hair. Finally one day they come up with a way to outwit the goblins and their solution leads to the “invention” of challah. Full of funny names and alliterative text, this would work well as a read-aloud. The full-page illustrations, whimsically created in water-color pastel shades in a style characteristic of the artist’s work in Highlights for Children, have lots of subtle, amusing elements for children to discover when they look at the book on their own. At the end of this bread-centered story, a letter to the children is included by the author, “Rabbi Zoe”, in which she invites them to think about “what gives challah its power” providing some “food for thought” about the beauty of Shabbat."
Jewish Book Council