Book Review

Hoot Goes To Israel by Ryan Bellerose and Genya Vinnikov
32 pages │  Self-Published│ November 2025

A Joyful Journey Through The Jewish Homeland

WINNIPEG – At a time when Jewish history is under assault, when our children face unprecedented disinformation in classrooms and online, and when the legitimacy of Israel itself is being challenged by activists and institutions that should know better, a new children’s book arrives like a breath of fresh air.

“Hoot Goes to Israel,” written by Indigenous-rights advocate Ryan Bellerose, is a charming, beautifully illustrated story that does something almost no children’s book dares to do anymore:
It affirms, simply, joyfully, and unapologetically, the Jewish people’s ancestral, historical, and spiritual connection to the Land of Israel.

This is not a political polemic disguised as children’s literature.
This is Zionism told through innocence, smiles, and the eyes of a curious little owl.

A Celebration of Jewish Indigeneity

The story opens with Ryan, a Métis educator who teaches about history, land, and identity. From the very first page, Bellerose sets the tone: this is a book that understands the deep parallels between Indigenous connection to land and the Jewish connection to Eretz Yisrael. It’s a message of dignity, identity, memory, and truth.

When Hoot secretly stows away in Ryan’s suitcase and arrives in Israel, readers are immediately welcomed into a land alive with meaning. There is no darkness here, no conflict narrative, no attempt to politicize the land. Instead, there is joy. There is belonging. There is home.

A Tour Through the Heart of Jewish Civilization

The journey itself is a love letter to Jewish history.

Hoot and Ryan visit:

• Jerusalem and the Western Wall, where Jews have prayed for thousands of years.
• Gush Etzion, where Jewish bravery and sacrifice echo across generations.
• Hebron, home to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, the burial place of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Leah.
• Shiloh, where the Mishkan once stood before there was a Temple, a king, or a state.

Every stop reinforces the same clear, unwavering message:

The Jewish people are indigenous to this land. They did not colonize it; they returned to it.

This book could not come at a more crucial moment.

Israel as It Really Is: Vibrant, Diverse, Alive

Bellerose succeeds in doing what modern media often fails to do: show Israel as a vibrant, contemporary, normal country filled with life and colour.

Children will love the scenes of:

• Israeli soldiers smiling at Tzomet Hagush
• Families praying at the Kotel
• Tourists exploring the Shuk in Jerusalem
• Kids soaking up the sun on Tel Aviv’s beaches
• Families celebrating Shabbat with warmth and unity

This is the Israel that generations of Jews have built with love and sacrifice, not the distorted caricature pushed by anti-Israel activists and hostile media outlets.

A Shabbat Table That Feels Like Home

Toward the end of the story, Ryan and Hoot share a Shabbat dinner with an Israeli family. The glow of the candles, the challah, the singing, it’s all there. For Jewish readers, it will feel like home. For non-Jewish readers, it is an invitation to understand what Jewish life looks like in the land that gave birth to our people.

In an age of rising antisemitism, this portrayal of Shabbat in Israel is more than a story. It is a declaration that Jewish continuity is alive, strong, and unbreakable.

A Perfect Ending

The book closes with the timeless blessing:

“Next Year in Jerusalem — לשנה הבאה בירושלים.”

There is no more powerful or hopeful way to end a children’s book about Israel. It ties together 3,000 years of Jewish longing, identity, and prayer, now fulfilled in the modern State of Israel.

Why This Book Matters

“Hoot Goes to Israel” isn’t just a story.
It is hasbara through the heart.
It is Zionism through joy.
It is Jewish identity made accessible for the next generation.

In a climate where Israel is constantly slandered, and Jewish connection to the land is erased or distorted, this book gives children the truth.
Warmly. Gently. Beautifully.

Every Jewish home should own a copy.
Every Hebrew school should read it.
Every educator who teaches about Indigenous identity should engage with it.
And every child who loves Israel, or is learning to love it, will treasure it.

⭐ Final Verdict: A Zionist Classic for the Next Generation

“Hoot Goes to Israel” is exactly the kind of children’s book the Jewish world needs right now:
honest, joyful, beautifully illustrated, historically grounded, and proudly, unapologetically pro-Israel.

TheJ.ca rates it:
★★★★★ — A joyful masterpiece of Jewish pride and truth.

📚 Where to Buy “Hoot Goes to Israel” & Price

• The book is currently listed on the Canadian bookstore Indigo Books & Music, available as an e-book. Indigo
• The price on Indigo is CAD $7.99. Indigo
• For those in the U.S. or elsewhere, the book is also available via Amazon, making it accessible internationally.