Joseph's
Bookstore
1257 Finchley Road
Temple Fortune
London NW11 0AD
T: 020 8731 7575
F: 020 8731 6699
Opening Hours:
Mon - Fri:
9:30 - 6:30pm
Sat & Sun:
10:00 - 5:00pm
Opening
Hours:
Mon
- Thurs:
10:00 - 10:00pm
Fri:
10:00 - 5:00pm
Sat
- Sun:
10:00 - 10:00pm
Top Ten Children's Jewish Books
a small
selection from our Jewish books for children and young adults, from
picture books to teenage novels
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1. Milkweed Jerry Spinelli £4.99
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| He’s a boy called Jew. Gypsy. Stopthief. Runt. Happy. Fast. Filthy son of Abraham.
He’s a boy who lives in the streets of Warsaw. He’s a boy who steals food for himself and the other orphans.
He’s a boy who believes in bread, and mothers, and angels. He’s a boy who wants to be a Nazi some day, with tall shiny jackboots and a gleaming Eagle hat of his own. Until the day that suddenly makes him change his mind. And when the trains come to empty the Jews from the ghetto of the damned, he’s a boy who realizes it’s safest of all to be nobody. Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli takes us to one of the most devastating settings imaginable—Nazi-occupied Warsaw of World War II—and tells a tale of heartbreak, hope, and survival through the bright eyes of a young orphan. |
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2. Zlateh the Goat and other stories Isaac Bashevis Singer £4.99
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| From two masters who need no introduction comes a handsome reprint of the classic Newbery Honor book Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories. With wit and whimsy, Maurice Sendak illustrates seven tales about the legendary village of fools, Chelm, written by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Silly, outrageous, and sometimes poignant, the stories (translated from the Yiddish) reflect the traditions, heroes, and villains of middle European folklore. The devil makes an appearance more than once, as do the ever-so-foolish yet highly revered Elders of Chelm. In "The Mixed-Up Feet and the Silly Bridegroom," four sisters wake one morning to discover that their feet have become mixed up in the bed they share. A wise Elder advises their mother to whack the bed with a big stick, thus causing each girl to grab her own feet in pain and surprise. When their feet are sorted out, he then recommends, the sisters should be married off as soon as possible, to reduce the possibility of similar mix-ups in the future. Of course, none of them count on the breathtaking stupidity of the first bridegroom. Another not-so-clever fellow stars in "The First Shlemiel." When this man's wife asks him to do three things for her, he promptly and accidentally proceeds to breach each one of his promises, resulting in a baby with a bump on his head, an escaped rooster, and an emptied pot of jam. Somehow, though, possibly because ignorance is bliss, fools always come out on top in these wonderful stories, making for terrific read-aloud, laugh-aloud fun for the entire family.
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3. A Day of Pleasure:
Stories of a Boy Growing Up in Warsaw
Isaac Bashevis Singer
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This is a collection of 19 episodes from Singer's boyhood life on Krochmalna Street in Warsaw. "Singer has written an extraordinary book that will give many days of pleasure to adults as well as children," PW stated. "These are sensitive, youthful and observant portraits of what Jewish life was like in Poland." |
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4. Brundibar
Maurice Sendak and Tony
Kushner
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| When Aninku and Pepicek discover one morning that their mother is sick, they rush to town for milk to make her better. Their attempt to earn money by singing is thwarted by a bullying, bellowing hurdy-gurdy grinder, Brundibar, who tyrannizes the town square and chases all other street musicians away. Befriended by three intelligent talking animals and three hundred helpful schoolkids, brother and sister sing for the money to buy the milk, defeat the bully, and triumphantly return home. Brundibar is based on a Czech opera for children that was performed fifty-five times by the children of Terezin, the Nazi concentration camp
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5.
Elijah's Tears: stories for the Jewish holidays
Sydelle
Pearl
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In a lively, storytelling style, Elijah's Tears offers a dramatic human context to the many Jewish holidays that are celebrated throughout the year. Five stories illuminate the many faces and mysteries of Elijah, the Jewish prophet who is known for appearing in disguise and testing the character of those in need. In "Leaves," a destitute elderly couple is heartbroken when they must sell their sacred Shabbat candlesticks for food. That evening when the husband and wife encounter an even poorer Jewish man wearing torn, shabby clothes, they offer to mend his garments. They even keep him warm in their bed while they sew (since the man owns no other clothes). Of course the mysterious man turns out to be Elijah, and he rewards the couple as he walks away by turning his footprints into leaves of gold. The ethereal figures and Jewish symbols in Rossitza Skortcheva Penney's black-and-white illustrations seem to float upon the pages, bringing even more celestial imagery and magic to the elusive Elijah. Children love folktales that allow good deeds to be rewarded, especially when the rewards come from unexpected characters. |
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6. Stories for Children
Isaac Bashevis Singer
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| Thirty-six stories by the Nobel Prize winner, including some of his most famous such as "Zlateh the Goat", "Mazel and Shlimazel", and "The Fools of Chelm and the Stupid Carp"
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7. Sammy Spider's First
Trip to Israel
Sylvia Rouss
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| As a stowaway in a boy's model airplane, Sammy joins the family's sightseeing trip in Israel and uses his five senses to experience the country. | |
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8. Jewish Holidays All Year
Round: A Family Treasury
Ilene Cooper
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| For the first time, the richness of the Jewish tradition is combined with lavish and intriguing artworks from the collection of The Jewish Museum in New York City to produce a treasury that is ideal for the entire family. The story of the Jewish people goes back thousands of years. And every year is punctuated by special days when families rejoice in a rich heritage, recall history, renew the spirit, and remember what it means to be Jews. Jewish Holidays All Year Round allows everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, to explore the true meaning of these special days.
The traditions and history of each holy day are explained in simple, clear language, along with the ways in which the day is observed, both in the synagogue and at home. Great crafts (including a miniature sukkah) and recipes (for tasty treats such as hamentashen) invite children and families to make every celebration uniquely their own. |
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9. 101
Read-Aloud Jewish Stories
Barbara Diamond Goldin
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| Jewish tales, Bible stories, legends and historic accounts from every generation and every land come to life in this captivating collection of short selections designed to introduce pre-readers to the glories of Jewish storytelling.
Reading aloud is the very best way to introduce young children to new worlds, real and imaginary-and to the great pleasures found between the covers of books. This wide-ranging and engaging collection will introduce young and old alike to Biblical heroes, magical and mythical characters, kings, prophets, historic figures and real-life adventurers from Israel, America and many other lands. Selected and retold by well-known children's author Barbara Diamond Goldin, the stories are designed to be read in ten minutes or less, and the strength and richness of the narratives make them ideal at bedtime. From the stories of Moses, Solomon and Jonah to the legends of the Golem of Prague and the hapless inhabitants of Chelm, and including selections from such renowned writers as Sholom Aleichem and Isaac B. Singer, this is sure to become a treasured volume, read, reread, passed down and loved for years to come. |
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10. The Bachelor and the
Bean
Shelley Fowles
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| When a grumpy old bachelor loses his last bean down a well, he is hopping mad. To his amazement, a devilish imp leaps out of the well and gives him a magic pot to keep him quiet. After hearing what the pot can do, a neighbor – a mean, jealous old lady – steals the bachelor’s pot, replacing it with a useless one of her own. The grumpy old bachelor is incensed, but when he eventually butts heads with the grumpy old thief, it turns out she is more of a match for him than he had ever bargained for.
The shenanigans in this sprightly illustrated folktale demonstrate with aplomb that romance, like magic, sometimes lurks in unexpected places. |
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