Jewish parents, go ahead and say it: We aren’t OK. On top of all the usual challenges of raising children (will my preschooler please go to bed on time, just once?), we are swimming in deep anxiety about their safety and their future in a post-October 7 reality.
Some days, we feel powerless to create the world our children deserve. It’s hard to act when our individual efforts seem crushingly insignificant. Who can hold back the tide with a spoon? So, we worry. And so do our family, friends, teachers and everyone who passes Jewish traditions l’dor v’dor, from generation to generation. Will our children be welcome? Will they be safe? Late at night, when I’m watching the peaceful breathing of my sleeping babies, these impossible questions keep me awake.
But Jews know what to do when a question has no answers – we reply with another one. (Nu, am I right?) When I am overwhelmed by wondering, “How can I bend the world for my children?” I ask instead, “How can I build an impregnable sanctuary of love right here?” Since I’m a picture book author and librarian as well as a mother, my answer to myself is, naturally, books. When our kids read books that celebrate diverse Jewish people and traditions, they build the strength to love themselves, feel empathy for others and embrace their Jewish identity.
When I started writing my first picture book, “The Schlemiel Kids Save the Moon,” my goal was to update a bit of old Yiddish silliness for modern-day children in a diverse world. I never intended any lofty purpose; I just wanted to make kids laugh. But especially over the last few months, it’s become crystal clear to me that Jewish joy and laughter are incredibly important. They matter, because we matter.
As I’ve shared my book with kids of all backgrounds, I’ve been deeply moved by seeing them giggle along with Jewish stories, Yiddish phrases and Jewish characters of all ages, races, backgrounds and abilities. For Jews, humor is a way of insisting to the world that we are here to stay. We are alive. We are human. We deserve joy. And on the days I can’t muster up a smile, I can find one in a book. I hope your family can, too.
Looking for somewhere to start? Your local library is a great first stop. Since libraries intentionally curate diverse collections, you might be surprised by how much you can find. Plus, you can place a request for nearly any book you can imagine, and your library will often buy or borrow it for you.
To start filling up your bookshelves at home, try signing up for PJ Library, a program that will mail a free, age-appropriate Jewish children’s book to your child each month.
Finally, start building loving bonds through all those books. Ask your schools, bookstores or libraries to bring in authors you love for community events. Author programs are a fun way to bring Jewish families together and to build bridges by introducing your non-Jewish neighbors to positive Jewish stories. In your home, weave joyfully Jewish books into your routine. Try making it a practice to read one before bed or on Shabbat afternoons.
Jewish families can reclaim our power and our narrative. Let’s fill our kids’ shelves with books that celebrate Jewish identity and peoplehood. Books that immerse us in the richness, the diversity, and the fun of our culture. Stories where we belong, where we matter, where we give and receive love. Books where we laugh. Books of Jewish joy.
These are just some of the picture books that have brought me and my kids Jewish joy, including, yes, my own:
“The Schlemiel Kids Save the Moon” by Audrey Barbakoff
“Joyful Song” by Lesléa Newman
“Space Torah: Astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman’s Cosmic Mitzvah” by Rachelle Burk
“1, 2, 3, Nosh with Me” by Micah and Joshua Siva
“How to Welcome an Alien” by Rebecca Klempner
“This is Not a Cholent” by Sarah Sassoon
“Meet the Latkes” by Alan Silberberg
“Such a Library!” by Jill Ross Nadler
“Hanukkah Upside Down” by Elissa Brent Weissman
“Ella KVELLephant and the Search for Bubbe’s Yiddish Treasure” by Jen Kostman
“Talia and the Rude Vegetables” by Linda Elovitz Marshall
“A feather, a pebble, a shell” by Miri Leshem-Pelly
“On Friday Afternoon: A Shabbat Celebration” by Michal Babay
“And a Cat from Carmel Market” by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
“Chicken Soup, Chicken Soup” by Pamela Mayer
