Papa Jethro

by Deborah Bodin Cohen, Jane Dippold (Illustrator)

When Rachel asks her Grandpa Nick why he is Christian when she is Jewish, he relates the biblical story of Jethro and his grandson Gershom, who loved one another very much despite their different religious beliefs. Simultaneous.

Genres: Fiction, Jewish

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Sq.Hill Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous picture book introducing the concept of mixed religions in families. Appropriate for even the youngest listener, it lets children know that families love eachother no matter what religion they are and they can teach eachother and celebrate their differences. Good for kids, good for grown-ups... I am very impressed with this one!

[Shoshanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely story about a Jewish girl and her Christian grandfather. Her grandfather tells the story of Moshe, Zipporah, Yitro, and Gershom, talking about it as a religiously blended family. It's a very sweet story. It does, however, ignore something significant. The Jewish people and Midianite people are just that, people. Each one is an "am," or people in Hebrew, or "goy," a nation in Hebrew. Yitro and Gershom could teach each other about their different peoples through food and language, this picture book shows. However, Christianity and Islam do not function like that. They are not a people or a set of beliefs OF a people. They are "universal" conversionary religions that "succeed" by winning more people over to their "truth." Godfrey Reggio's second film in the Qatsi trilogy is called "Powaqqatsi," which can translate to "sorcerer life," "parasitic way of life," or "life which lives by consuming other ways of life." This is how conversionary religion functions. Her grandpa has no words to offer, no language, no food. The power imbalance is very real, even if this book does not address it.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Rabbi Cohen, for finally writing a book on this important topic for today's young readers. So many families have different allegiances, including their religious commitments.

I say "finally" writing this kind of book since I've never encountered one before. Ever.

But I did find the writing stiff, and the attempts at creative nonfiction struck me as awkward. Yet it's so important to bring this nuanced kind of message forward. It matters so much for families and also for society that family members learn to respect each other. We can do better than to stop loving each other just because of our differences.

That message is why I rated this book with four stars. The message mattered, but the execution wasn't convincing, not for me. Still, it's always hard to write a first book of its kind, and this topic matters so much!

[Amy Bodkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for interfaith families!!! I love how it is explained that it comes down to love, that love is bigger than differences in how we live!

[Caitlin Wall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Papa Jethro is a fictional account of a young girl and her grandfather, who are Jewish and Christian respectively. Grandpa Nick tells Rachel the story of Papa Jethro, to help Rachel understand that families do not always follow the same religion. This story relates to my religion text set because it has a focus on Christianity and Judaism beliefs and history. The story is written by a Rabbi, so I believe that it is an accurate portrayal and from an insider’s perspective.
The story is interesting, but could be complex for younger readers, particularly those who do not follow Judaism or Christianity and so do not have as much background knowledge on the topic. There are many topics to discuss in this story, and it could be a great launching point for further discussion about religious diversity or history. The questions that Rachel asks are very realistic, as many families have different religious backgrounds and children can question why certain family members have different beliefs. The illustrations were detailed and helped with the flow of the story. They are accurate in terms of location and people. They may not grab very young children’s attention as easily as the color scheme is not as bright as many children’s books. The depictions of events are accurate as per the history of Judaism and Christianity. Children can explore both Christianity and Judaism in this book, with a focus being on history. The characters are slightly simplified, as they are used as the lens through which we view the tale of Papa Jethro.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that uses stories from the bible to explain how interfaith families are nothing new.