VIENNA – Though not religious, Jane Naliboff’s Jewish heritage made her youngest daughter unique in her class at the Cape Cod Hill School.

During the season when holiday decorations were appearing everywhere, her daughter, Dana, now grown, wondered why she was the only one in her class who was Jewish. Naliboff told her daughter, then a first-grader, that she was unique and that her heritage should be a source of pride.

From that conversation many years ago, came the idea for Naliboff’s second book, “The Only One Club.”

The 32-page children’s book tells of Jennifer, the only Jewish child in her first-grade class, who made Hanukkah decorations while classmates created Christmas trees and wreaths. Jennifer, thrilled when the teacher allows her to put her decorations up first, later creates “The Only One Club,” of which she is the sole glittery-badge-wearing member. Jennifer’s classmates want to join her club and the entire class is inducted, each one singled out for a quality no one else possesses.

Naliboff’s tale encourages young readers to look for qualities in themselves and others, beyond race and ethnicity, that make them unique, said one reviewer.

“We’re all special, we’re all unique and we all belong to the human race,” said Naliboff recently sitting in a rocking chair at Devaney, Doak and Garrett Booksellers in Farmington.

Naliboff has been published in several children’s magazines, Spider, Cricket, Hopscotch and Boys’ Quest, among them. She also authored a humor book, “Kids Will Be Kids: Excellent, Tried-and-True Reasons for Thinking Twice About Having Children or Why You Might Want to Rent Them Out on Weekends” published in 1997.

“The Only One Club,” published in September, is featured in the recommended selected list of recent children’s books on the Association of Jewish Libraries Web site.

Naliboff said she hates cartoons and told the book’s illustrator, Jeff Hopkins of Somerville, Mass., she wanted her characters to be portrayed as cute, not cartoons and not “icky sweet.” She was pleased with the results, she said.

She used real names for some of her characters though their likenesses have been altered. Jonah McBride is Dana’s boyfriend though unlike the character he does not have red hair, she said. She also used the name of the daughter of Dana’s violin teacher. When Gwen Beecham, the violin teacher’s daughter read the book, she sent Naliboff a thank you note and a handmade badge.

The book is available at Devaney Doak and Garrett Booksellers where children can enter a contest to win a $25 gift certificate by writing why they are the “only one” on the back of a provided badge. A drawing will be held Dec. 4, Chester Greenwood Day, when the author and illustrator will also be on hand. All badges will later be displayed in the store.