Text © 1984, Barbara Cohen. Illustrations © 1998 UAHC Press.

All the Jews living in the Prague ghetto hear the announcement, “the Purim Players are coming!” A troupe of excellent entertainers has come to share a Purim Shpiel with the entire town. As they entertain with their interpretation of the Book of Esther, the crowd merrily joins in, booing and hissing at the evil Haman, cheering and clapping for the heroic Mordecai and Esther. When at last the play is finished, the players receive their rewards of coins, all in attendance enjoy a Purim feast and singing and dancing last well into the night.

Barbara Cohen’s (z’l) works are always excellent and lasting. Her rendition of the Esther story, as a play performed for the villagers of Prague, could not be finer. The inclusion of the crowd’s participation throughout provides the perfect counterpoint to her version of the story.  No doubt, their commentary will engender many a laugh during a read aloud. The illustrations are beautiful, soft and appealing. You want to join this merry band of players and their audience yourself.

Grade Level: K-3

©2010 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
Books used in this review were from my personal library.
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© 2005, KarBen Publishing, Inc.

The little preschool shana punim return to celebrate Purim in their classroom.  They dress up in costume, have hamentashen for their snack and deliver shalach manot to the preschool staff. While listening to their teacher read the Megillah, they shake their hand-made groggers so loud the name of Haman is blotted out entirely. These kids really know how to party!

Instructions for making recyclable Purim groggers using aluminum cans and birdseed are in the back of the book.

Grade Level: PreK-1

©2010 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
Books used in this review were borrowed from my local library.
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© 2004, Clarion Books.

A little bear cub wakes up from his winter’s nap and finds he is starving. Not wanting to wake up his mother, he leaves the den to search for food. At the edge of the forest he smells a tasty aroma and sees a crowd of people entering a building while carrying plates of food – it’s a Purim Party!  He wanders over and manages to get inside because his “bear costume” has almost everyone thinking he is the tailor.

Greedily, he helps himself to every delicious morsel on the table. When at last he is satisfied, he sits down for a quiet little nap. When it is time for dancing, they want the “tailor” to join in. Even though Itzik tries to tell everyone it is a real bear, no one believes him. When they push too hard, though, the little bear wakes up, and everyone sees that Itzik was right!

While a bit wordy, this is a delightful story that little ones will love because in the end, it was the youngest child who knew the truth all along. The illustrations are charming and portray the happiness and love of a community getting together to celebrate the joyful Purim holiday.

Grade Level: PreK-2

©2010 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
Books used in this review were borrowed from my local library.
I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you click on a book title referred to on my web site and purchase it from Amazon,

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© 2004, KarBen Publishing, Inc.

Naomi is sure that her mother has forgotten her seventh birthday. After all, they just moved into their new home, her birthday and Purim are three days away and instead of unpacking boxes, they have been baking Hamantashen and putting together Shalach Manot baskets for people they don’t even know. To make matters worse, her mother is making Naomi deliver the baskets to all their neighbors!

What Naomi doesn’t know is that her mother has included an invitation to a surprise Purim/birthday party for Naomi in each of the baskets. Naomi is in for a big treat and doesn’t even know it.

While a bit wordy, this is a lovely story about being a stranger in a strange land and reaching out to a new community. The illustrations are beautiful, what looks to be, colored pencil drawings. There is a glossary in the back explaining Purim terms.

Grade Level: PreK-3

©2010 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
Books used in this review were borrowed from my local library.
I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you click on a book title referred to on my web site and purchase it from Amazon,

I may receive a very small commission on your purchase.

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I appreciate your support.

© 2000, Lee & Low Books.

During the Gold Rush of the 1850’s, Rosabel and Sophie are best friends because they are both outsiders.  Rosabel is African American and Sophie is Jewish. A PJ Library book.

Grade Level: K- 3rd

©2010 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
Books used in this review were provided by the publishers cited.
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It is 1947, Joey Sexton’s white, Jewish mother has died and he finds out that his black father is also dead. The only family that will take him are his maternal grandfather and aunt who live together in Brooklyn.

As Joey struggles to make friends with the other children in the neighborhood, his cousin Roberta (known as Bobbie) befriends him and takes his side as often as she can. Joey’s Zayde (grandfather) is angry that Joey’s mother ran away from home and married someone who was not white and not Jewish. His grandfather is determined to bring Joey into line so as not to lose him as he lost Joey’s mother.  The struggle between Joey and his grandfather is compelling and makes for a fine and intense read.

While Jackie Robinson, a Brooklyn Dodger rookie, is trying to break sport’s color-barrier, Joey, a half-white half-black child, also struggles to find his place in the world.  He roots for the Yankees, defends his mother when neighborhood women talk about her badly and argues with his grandfather at every opportunity.  At times, it feels he will never succeed in staying with this warm, loving family. However, through all the arguing, he and his grandfather find a way to make peace with each other.

The Jewish content of this book is excellent, from Shabbos dinner to saying kaddish, many Jewish traditions are described and we read about their celebration. The feelings and discussions that are in the story are written in a way to make the reader empathize with every character, whether it be Joey hearing bad things about his mom or his grandfather wondering how to raise him properly. Boys will love this book as it portrays baseball as America’s favorite past time and the play-by-play allows one to picture the games as they are played. Bobbie, a tomboy, is thoroughly accepted by her family and as a result thoroughly accepts Joey.   Joey’s aunt loves Joey and does everything she can to make him feel welcome. What she cannot do is override her father. She believes it is up to Joey and his Zayde to work their issues out with one another.

Grade Level: 4th – 9th

©2010 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
Books used in this review were provided by the publishers cited.
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© 2009 Kar-Ben Publishing.

A 2009 Sydney Taylor Honor Book. This is a beautifully written midrash about the story of Nachshon, the individual who was the first to step into the waters of the Reed Sea thereby enabling the Jewish People to reach freedom on the other side. Nachshon is portrayed as a brave young man who is not afraid of anything – Egyptian taskmasters, royal courtiers, frogs, locusts – except swimming. Water, it seemed, terrified him. Until the moment when he realizes that in order to reach freedom he must face his fears and step into the water. The language of the book is perfect for youngsters to feel the difficult life of the slaves, their excitement at Moses’ return to the slave village, the fear of Nachshon’s decision to enter into the water. There are many opportunities for discussion here about things children may be afraid of and how they might overcome their fears.

The illustrations are wondrous, sophisticated art in soft colors portraying the desert heat and the cool water. All in all an exceptional book for Passover or Bible story time.

Grade: K-5

© 2007 Kar-Ben Publishing

This book brought tears to my eyes and gave me goose bumps. What a beautiful gift for an interfaith family- a bedtime story for the other faith grandparents to read to their Jewish grandchildren. With lovely, soft, warm illustrations, we read the story of Rachel and her Grandpa Nick as he tells her the Midrash (an interpretive story based on a verse in the Hebrew Bible) of Jethro – Moses’ father-in-law, a Midian priest – and his grandson, Gershon. The text is simple, dear and delightful. If the end of the book does not bring at least a mist to your eyes, I would check your heartbeat.

As someone who has worked with interfaith couples on a daily basis, I believe this book has a place in every Jewish library with an interfaith population. In fact, you should have at least two copies. My bet is they will be checked out often and repeatedly, especially when grandparents come visiting. This book finds the common ground where so often people in these situations fail to look – in the love and trust between a grandchild and a grandparent.

Grade: PreK-3

© 2009 EKS Publishing

A retelling of Exodus where Moses is assisted in coming into the world through the efforts of many righteous women – two midwives, his mother, his sister and the Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 1,2). It is also an adaptation of the Hebrew text so that those studying Hebrew can practice reading the stories in simple Hebrew and learn to understand and read the words in the original language.  As an adult learner who is doing her best to master the ancient tongue, I appreciate what EKS has done. Not only is the English simple, clear and highly readable, but the Hebrew text is as well.  In addition, in the back of the book you can find a literal translation of the Hebrew along with a glossary containing every-single-Hebrew-word in translation AND transliteration. Thank you so VERY much.

The illustrations are not great, but they are nice, colorful and connect the reader to the story.  Overall, a nice addition to this series and should be included in the collection.

© 2009, Jewish Publication Society.

I have learned over the years not to expect too much from Children’s Bibles.  Normally, I am looking at “Old Testament” Children’s Bibles.  I often find the stories too short and uninteresting, having been over-adapted to fit into the small space allotted. In some cases, I find the story selection to be somewhat unusual and have to ponder why they included the particular stories that they did. Then, of course, there are the illustrations that can range from ultra-modern to neo-classic.

Fortunately, Ellen Frankel and JPS have decided to put their efforts to the task of providing the younger members of the Jewish community with a Children’s Bible they can truly call their own. With great thought, careful editing, deliberate selection, and fabulous artwork, The JPS Illustrated Children’s Bible will certainly become a classic.The stories are well told and very true to the original texts. The selection of stories is excellent and hits all major Biblical highlights. Avi Katz’s illustrations are breathtaking and bring each story to life with vibrant colors, vivid detailing and exceptional expression.  Each story contained in this volume would make a nice story time selection or as a reading during a Kabbalat Shabbat service. Many could be adapted for participatory reading or plays.

The author’s notebook in the back of the Bible is an insightful description of how Ms. Frankel adapted the material and chose the stories she chose. A list of the Books of the Hebrew Bible detailing which stories from which books are contained in this Bible follows.

Overall, this is an excellent Children’s Bible. It would make a wonderful housewarming gift for a new family, a unique gift for a child starting Hebrew School or an interesting baby gift. It certainly deserves a place in every Jewish library.

Grade Level: 3rd – 8th