Jewish Children’s Literature > Likes and Comments
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I read quite a lot of children's literature and seek out Jewish and Holocaust works. Many child survivors of the Holocaust purposely wrote their stories for children and teenagers rather than for adults.Ida Vos & Uri Orlev's books are worth looking for. Orlev's Run, Boy, Run was made into a film.
Historical fiction I enjoyed of late includes A Ceiling Made of Eggshells which is set in Spain during the expulsion of 1492, A Boy of Old Prague (1963) by Sulamith Ish-Kishor set in medieval times & Code Name Kingfisher (2023) by Liz Kessler, a WW2 story. Uncle Misha's Partisans (1973) by Yuri Suhl is an older but very good read.
Jane Yolen has written many good novels for children, her latest is a picturebook, The Many Problems of Rochel-Leah which depicts a young shetl girl wanting to learn to read.
Kathy Kacer has written several WW2 novels for children including Masters of Silence which draws on the resistance work of Marcel Marceau & others.
Broken Strings (2019) is about the granddaughter of a survivor who has never told his story.
Janusz Korczak has two children's books translated to English including King Matt the First which was very popular in Israel at one time.
Valérie Zenatti is a French writer of YA books, she is also the translator to French of Aharon Appelfeld's work. When I Was a Soldier (2002) gives a good look into IDF service at the time.
Kerry wrote: "I read quite a lot of children's literature and seek out Jewish and Holocaust works. Many child survivors of the Holocaust purposely wrote their stories for children and teenagers rather than for a..."Thank you for this Kerry-
Jane Yolen is terrific. I read The Many Problems of...
Also read Broken Strings.
Thank you for this book suggestion Julie."On All Other Nights: A Passover Celebration in 14 Stories"
Heres a thought. Im going to buy it and read one or two stories to the kids and those who act like them at the seder. :)
I read several children's-level Holocaust books as a child, although I don't know that any of them are still available, honestly. That being said, I think including children's literature here is a wonderful idea.
Deena wrote: "I read several children's-level Holocaust books as a child, although I don't know that any of them are still available, honestly. That being said, I think including children's literature here is a ..."Deena,
From your "moderators"-
Thank you for the compliment.
Many worthwhile genres for children's books.
Heres is another children's book that I was told about. Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor: A Story for Hanukkah
by Anne Kofsky
I know it's normally not acceptable for authors to promote their own work, but the June nominations specifically invite this, and have invited authors of kidlit to post here - so... heregoes!When I'm not writing screenplays or directing movies, I write comic books! All my comics are meant to be accessible enough for middle-grade (ages 8ish-12ish) readers, but sophisticated enough for adult readers to enjoy. My first book, a swashbuckler about Jewish pirates in the 16th century Caribbean, remains a fan favorite. José and the Pirate Captain Toledano
TODAY is the official 'book birthday' of my latest comic, The Tomb of the Broken Amulet: Festival of Forgotten Tales: Tale #2!
This one-shot short story comic tells a Passover mummy adventure, and is the second in a series of Jewish holiday genre stories that I'm working on called "Festival of Forgotten Tales".
The first book in that series, The Beast and the Booth: Festival of Forgotten Tales: Tale #1 came out this past November. The third book is already in the works.
The e-books are now available on Amazon (and "The Beast and the Booth" is even on sale today!)
There's no good way to sell physical "floppy" comics on Amazon, so for those of you who like to hold a book in your hands, these (and others) are available at my webstore - http://tinyurl.com/shorrstore
I'm a big fan of Jewish kidlit (particularly the kind that prioritizes entertainment!) So I'm really glad this section is here, and look forward to exploring the books that you're all recommending!
I just finished reading The Forbidden Book by Sacha Lamb. It's a book for teens but I felt it would also be enjoyed by adult readers. I found it quite satisfyingly rich in Jewish mysticism. A young Jewish girl runs away on the night of her wedding and disguised as a stable boy helps solve a mystery of death and a missing forbidden book.While the GR book description suggests 'a genderqueer lesbian with a knife,' this is not the case as it's more that the girl sometimes shares her body with a lost soul.
Kerry wrote: "I just finished reading The Forbidden Book by Sacha Lamb. It's a book for teens but I felt it would also be enjoyed by adult readers. I found it quite satisfyingly rich in Jewish m..."That's the same author who wrote When the Angels Left the Old Country, a recent poll winner and remarkable book. Sometimes YA crosses over to books that adults enjoy as well. (There too I agree that the gender bending, if that's acceptable terminology, was done with grace and subtlety, and not in anybody's face. That's why it won all those mainstream awards!)
For middle grade (ages 8-12):Finn & Ezra's Bar Mitzvah Time Loop by Josh Levy (very fun and very funny)
Aviva vs. the Dybbuk & The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman by Mari Lowe (both masterclasses in writing and pacing, plus really authentic representations of Orthodox Jewish girls)
Leah wrote: "For middle grade (ages 8-12):Finn & Ezra's Bar Mitzvah Time Loop by Josh Levy (very fun and very funny)
Aviva vs. the Dybbuk & The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman by Mari Lowe (both masterclas..."
Good pick Leah. Josh S Levy won the Sydney Taylor Award and National Jewish Book Award for this book in March.
"Made in Palestine" by Zoe Judith for sure! It's a charming history of the term from antiquity forward that both my parents and my kids (8 and 10) enjoyed. It isn't often these days that grandma and the grandkids both like story time so that was awesome. Made in Palestine
We usually don't post the discussion topics for poll winners and Mod Choices this early.Just as an FYI, we have received requests from members asking for some "Kid Lit, Y/A etc".
The Mod Choice for September of 25 is "The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman by Mari Lowe.
This book along with its topic references Rosh Hashanah as well.
Perfect for the upcoming holidays.
Have a great August!!!!
I appreciate this thread. I'm working on a sequel to Just a Hat, and I keep an eye on what's new in YA and/or what readers actually like to read versus what adult reviewers post (Does anyone know of a peer-review study that's analyzed who is most likely to post a review and whether that's an accurate sample of readers?). My hope is there might be some classroom teachers who will post on what books their students are loving. It's more than helping to make the pitch; it's wanting to write something teens actually like instead of what they're told they should like. I'm interested in understanding the correlation.
Stacey B wrote: "We usually don't post the discussion topics for poll winners and Mod Choices this early.Just as an FYI, we have received requests from members asking for some "Kid Lit, Y/A etc".
The Mod Choice f..."
I need to check that one out.
Shanah wrote: "Stacey B wrote: "We usually don't post the discussion topics for poll winners and Mod Choices this early.Just as an FYI, we have received requests from members asking for some "Kid Lit, Y/A etc".
..."
Hi Shanah,
Hope you are well. Happy to see you writing a sequel.
I cant help you on this one-
I wish you asked for something easier :)
The Ghosts of Rose Hill by RM Romero was one of my favorite reads last year, and it's perfect for fall. It's a lovely Jewish coming-of-age/romance/ghost story, and it's beautifully written in verse, too. Highly recommend!
Lenny wrote: "The Ghosts of Rose Hill by RM Romero was one of my favorite reads last year, and it's perfect for fall. It's a lovely Jewish coming-of-age/romance/ghost story, and it's beautifully ..."Thank you for the input Lenny.
Sounds like should be very popular- Im going to mark it to read. Thank you.
Brina wrote: "To all our members. Recently a number of members and authors have nominated a number of children’s books as our group read. These nominations have been met with mixed opinions. At this time, the Je..."Brina, I can't thank you enough for starting this thread and for highlighting the importance of Jewish children's literature. You are a blessing!
Well, Liza , (blushing), this was a Stacey and Brina collaboration. I just post the threads. The reality though is that a lot of us did not have a lot of books with Jewish protagonists growing up. Other than All of a Kind Family and Judy Blume, I can’t think of many books I read that featured Jews. This thread is to get the word out. Any book for any age kid that you think might be of interest, please post it here.
Stacey B wrote: "Shanah wrote: "Stacey B wrote: "We usually don't post the discussion topics for poll winners and Mod Choices this early.Just as an FYI, we have received requests from members asking for some "Kid ..."
We're doing well, Stacey. A little worried about the future of Jewish books with the major publishers. Worrying is what we do best, right?
Shanah wrote: "Stacey B wrote: "Shanah wrote: "Stacey B wrote: "We usually don't post the discussion topics for poll winners and Mod Choices this early.Just as an FYI, we have received requests from members aski..."
Shanah,
YES- its very apparent. I will write you a pm over the weekend.
Brina wrote: "Well, Liza , (blushing), this was a Stacey and Brina collaboration. I just post the threads. The reality though is that a lot of us did not have a lot of books with Jewish protagonists growing up. ..."So right! We need Jewish children's books more than ever. I recently finished Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II and the second book in the duology, Max in the Land of Lies: A Tale of World War II - I highly recommend both!
Thank you and Stacey for all that you do to uplift Jewish kidlit!
They sound good Liza.The Pranks of....' was one of the few kidlit books we could find that related to the HH this month. I didnt know this was published by Levine-Querido. He needs to do more of these.
Arnon's comics are great! I have read and reviewed several of them.
I started book blogging about 2 years ago and a large percentage of the books that I review are Jewish children's books. For reviews or simply to see what is new you can check out Bubbe's Bookshelf.
Julie wrote: "I started book blogging about 2 years ago and a large percentage of the books that I review are Jewish children's books. For reviews or simply to see what is new you can check out Bubbe's Bookshelf."You are a blessing, Julie!
I can’t stress enough the importance of Jewish children’s books during our present climate. I can count on one hand the books I read (not counting series) with Jewish protagonists when I was growing up. Thankfully there are more choices for kids now and here is the place to discuss and read them.
Respectfully, your JBC moderators