Mazel Toes!

by Audrey Barbakoff, Anitta Soble (illustrator)

Welcome your little one home with Jewish joy and celebration in this delightful rhyming board book.

My love, it lasts forever.
My love, it grows and grows,
From your shayna punim
Down to your mazel toes.

With beautiful illustrations that celebrate the generational strength of Jewish families, Mazel Toes is a heartfelt love letter from a parent to their baby. Gentle rhymes weave in Yiddish words while inviting sweet gestures for each part of the body mentioned, from a smooch on the tum to a boop on the nose. A Yiddish glossary at the back adds an educational touch.

Perfect for bedtime, this board book is sure to bring joy to new families and inspire plenty of giggles.

Genres: Picture Books, Jewish

22 pages, Board Book

Published October 28, 2025

About the author

Dr. Audrey Barbakoff is a librarian, educator, and entrepreneur. She holds a Doctor of Education from the University of Southern California and a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Washington. Audrey lives with her husband, two children, and chickens on an island in Puget Sound. She is the author of multiple professional development books for librarians, the picture book The Schlemiel Kids Save the Moon, and the board book MAZEL TOES!

Reviews

[SamSamSam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really cool concept! I loved seeing the families from the previous page/generation in photographs on the wall of the next page. The rhyming text was well done, and I don't just throw that kind of praise around. Just because I'm curious I would have loved some backmatter on the different time periods/traditions depicted, but that doesn't take away from the story. It makes sense that this is in board book form for babies, but I would LOVE to see this in picture book format to get a closer look at the illustrations, they're so detailed!

[Ilana Wieder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inclusive as it is diverse, MAZEL TOES sprinkles warmth, love and yiddish words throughout this adorable board book on the many ways we welcome a new baby home. But the keen observer will notice that this is more than just a rhyming book for new babies. The simple and brilliant illustrations by Annita Soble depict the many ways babies have been welcomed into homes throughout generations. I highly recommend this book to any and every family with a new baby. Mazel Tov!

[Laura Roettiger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful board book with perfect rhythm and rhymes. Author Audrey Barbakoff seamlessly weaves Yiddish words with the English allowing the reader to learn some new vocabulary (there's also a glossary in the back) from the context and the illustrations depicting different families on each spread provided by Anitta Soble. Highly recommend this wonderful celebration of what welcoming a new baby means to the people who love them!

[Sarah Aroeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adorable book that welcomes a new baby into a family. I loved learning - and practicing saying - the yiddish words that are playfully and cleverly incorporated into the prose. The inclusivity of the families portrayed in the illustrations are an added delight. This book will surely bring giggles and smiles to babies and adults alike!

[Abby White · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely lil book! These simple rhymes are serene and warm—and catchy enough to still stick in my head. I love how the pictures illustrate familial love across Jewish families of different eras, nationalities, and sexualities. It would be such a treat to read this book to a young Jewish child as a way to share love and heritage. Highly recommend!

[Kelsey Gross · Rating 5 out of 5]

MAZEL TOES is an adorable board book about family love that shows different Jewish families as they welcome a new baby. The charming rhyme includes some Yiddish words, and the art shows a diversity of family structures and cultures. This book would be such a sweet gift for a newborn or any young child!

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely book of love that welcomes a new baby into the home. The meter, rhythm, and rhyme combined with Yiddish words is like a lullaby to the ear. The colorful illustrations which include the photos and heirlooms of past generations help convey the warmth of the words. This beautiful story will be enjoyed by all families.

[Ryann Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet book. Love the rhymes and am super impressed that Yiddish words were placed in the text but it still flowed beautifully. It was also fun to see things passed down from generation to generation through the art.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a sweet story of love - familial, generational, parental. And then you have all that good emotional stuff paired with the physical rhyming structure and you're left with a story that will knock the socks off your mazel toes! You'll want to add this one to your bookshelf!

[Jilanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this huggable, sweet book that envelops a child in love from generations within a family and community. Also love that Yiddish is incorporated in fun, engaging rhyme. AND that all kinds of families are depicted. Beautiful and fun illustrations made me smile.

[Christina Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joyful rhyme and loving images welcome a new baby into diverse, inclusive, and beautiful families. Yiddish words woven into the rhymes give the book specificity while the message of love is universal. This board book would make a lovely gift.

[Laurie Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonder! From the joyous rhymes with tons of Yiddish to the saturated colors of the art, this little book extolling families' love for babies--from head to toe--is full of heart. A gorgeous depiction of diverse Jewish families.

[Constance · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely adorable multi-generational board book! This one will be super fun to read to your baby... or grandbaby. Love the artwork and rhyming text.

[Erica Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sweetest book and the perfect gift for a new baby in the family. Yiddish and love are equally beautifully woven in. Pure Jewish Joy!

[Leslie Kimmelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable! A rhyming board book homage to babies, replete with Yiddish words. Totally adorable, totally inclusive, as delicious as a newborn!

[Jennifer Stempel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun board book! Barbakoff expertly weaves the Yiddish in with the story, and explains each word in rhyme. Too cute!

[Rebecca Gardyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet board book filled with Yiddish and so much love for a new baby. Adorable!

[Logan Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cute book is a charming rhyming read with lots of fun Yiddish words to learn and say. Art was not my style, but it doesn't detract from the fun text.

[Andi Chitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute! I was particularly impressed by how seamlessly the author weaved Yiddish vocab in with the English.

[Esty Schachter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delight on every page! Easy to imagine this becoming a family favorite.

[Shoshanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute!

[Ann Koffsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of bouncy rhyme that’s sprinkled with Yiddish and humor, Mazel Toes is a read-aloud parents and kids will adore.

[Julie Ditton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mazel Tov is a traditional Yiddish phrase which literally means good luck but is used to say congratulations.. This adorable baby book uses sweet rhyme, Yiddish words and phrases and colorful pictures to show families lavishing their love on the little ones. Kiss your little one from the top of his keppe to the tiny toes. The illustrations show families from different eras through modern times welcoming their new babies. This book is perfect for any Jewish family with a new baby. But readers need not be fluent in Yiddish. Between the context clues and the illustrations the glossary in the afterward might not even be needed. Yiddish is the language of Ashkenazi jews, But There is a lot of inclusion in these pictures. They not only show people of various ethnicities, but also a gay couple and a parent who uses a wheelchair. Mazel Tov to the author and illustrator on this new literary baby.