100 books like Welcoming Elijah

This is a sweet book that focuses on the essential idea of Shabbat: rest and refraining from work.

It also teaches an idea that is part of the ancient lesson of the Sabbath—everyone rests on the Sabbath including work animals. I like this book—and its lovely illustrations—because it takes a difficult idea that is culled from rabbinic sources. 

Yom Kippur is a difficult holiday for adults. It is even more difficult and exceptionally abstract for kids.

Words like atonement and forgiveness are particularly hard to grasp. This book focuses on one idea: saying I’m sorry. As a result, it takes an idea that is taught by parents, educators, and caregivers and places it in a Jewish holiday story context that is both playful and profound. I like this book, because it takes a complicated idea and distills it in a very manageable way. 

The fall is overwhelmed by Jewish holidays. Rosh Hashanah (and Yom Kippur) initiate this holiday season.

The so-called High Holidays provide the opportunity to look backwards and forward. Since time is a difficult concept for kids—especially its measurement of it—helpful books like this one are particularly welcome.

I like Measuring a Year, because it provides the reader with guidance as to how to actually look backwards, acknowledge the good times and the things that the child might regret—and plan for the year ahead. 

I remember reading an article in The New York Times about the discovery by archeologists of an ancient seed. I thought to myself, “This would make a great picture book for kids.”

Then I saw The Miracle Seed in print. Lemelman has done a great job telling the story—and also using it as a vehicle to demonstrate the challenges of the Jewish people through a particular period of history—and its rebirth. 

This Haggadah is a Haggadah that is ideal when there are younger children at the seder. What makes the Haggadah unique are its puppets (included with the book) which need to be prepared and assembled prior to the seder. Many parts of the seder are set up as a script of a play, where parts can be given out to read. There are also original fun songs to sing. When my children were younger, I used this Haggadah with enormous success, and still have the puppets which I hope to use now with my grandchildren!

This Haggadah is perfect for families that want to include all of the traditional sections of the seder without spending a lot of time in discussion and study of text. Nicely illustrated and fully transliterated, the Haggadah also includes interesting facts as well as thought questions throughout. For example, the Haggadah explains that in the Ha Lachma anya section (let all who are hungry eat) early in the seder that the language of Aramaic is used. This is a reminder that when we welcome the stranger, we invite our guest in the language he or she will understand  

The venerable Goldberg Haggadah is a wonderful example of a traditional Haggadah. I led seders using it for many years. The translation is very accessible, easy for all participants to read. The book has a great cover, both front and back, which normally wouldn’t be important in a book recommendation, but there is something almost magical about this cover – it just gives the feeling that you’re going to have a wonderful seder. The interior is nicely designed, with clear delineation of paragraphs, lots of white space, attractive fonts in Hebrew and English, and simple but expressive illustrations, all of which are important for a book that will be recited out loud.

This Haggadah is a product of the Rabbinical Assembly of America, the Union of Conservative Rabbis of which I am a proud member. We have used this Haggadah when our participants at our seder included more adults than children. The Haggadah includes a guide to the requisite rituals, detailing how and why each ritual is performed. There is also ample commentary on the text, explaining passages and provoking questions, in order to engage participants, Finally, alternative readings are included to replace or augment the text. 

The Steinsaltz Haggadah is a traditional Haggadah with a traditional translation, but what makes it shine are the explanations. The traditional Haggadah is in many respects a difficult book – much of it is hard to understand as is. Rabbi Steinsaltz provides explanations that bring some degree of clarity to these difficult passages. In addition, Rabbi Steinsaltz provides marvelous explanations of the Psalms of Praise recited at the seder and on Jewish holidays. I’ve recited these psalms many times over many years, and Rabbi Steinsaltz explains them in a way that I’ve never seen. When I study Talmud, I use the Steinsaltz translation, because in both the Talmud and the Haggadah, the explanations are spectacularly clear.

I love this book because it’s full of puns, and the humorous character names reflect the cultures of the various forms of bread they represent. There’s Alfie Koman (a matzah who likes to hide), Mrs. Crust, and classmates Challah Looyah, Naan-cy, Cornelius Tortilla, Burnie Toast, and Loaf Sourdough.

Alfie tries to tell the story of Passover, but Loaf butts in and says that Pha-Roach (not Pharoah) enslaved the Hebrews and a superhero named Mighty Moses brings 10 plagues (including No Wi-fi and Indoor Recess Forever–horrors!)

I cheer when Alfie finally yells, "Let my story go!" and tells the real history. The cartoonish art is hilarious, and the book includes a glossary of Passover terms. This is a fun way to introduce the holiday to Jewish and non-Jewish kids.