As many of you know, I write a lot of thematic book lists. I have not, however, tackled holidays. (Well, I did write about monster books for Halloween, but I don't think that counts!) Since Passover is around the corner, let me point you to this terrific post by Jennifer Schultz at The Kiddosphere. I had the pleasure of serving on the Cybils nominating panel for nonfiction picture books with her in 2008 and found her to be incredibly knowledgeable and thoughtful about her book recommendations.
Recently she wrote about Passover-themed books. I love this post because of the perspective she shares. Here's what she wrote.
My favorite type of holiday books for children are the ones that are all-inclusive; they make both the observer and non-observer welcome. Holiday books for children can easily fall into the trap of making the observers of that holiday "Other" and exotic.She's put together a terrific list, so do stop by and check out her Passover recommendations.
I'm also quite fond of the posts that Kathy Bloomfield writes at forwordsbooks. Her focus is on books of Jewish interest for children and families. In a recent post on Courage/Ometz Lev she wrote:
On Monday evening, March 29, Jews all over the world, with family and friends, will be sitting down to retell the Passover story and the birth of the Jewish people. Whether you believe that every word you read in the Haggadah is true or that what you are reading are archetypal legends of the Jewish people, the fact remains that Passover is the most celebrated Jewish holiday in the Hebrew calendar. It took a lot of people (real or imagined,) with a lot of courage, to create a way to bring us together every year to remember, teach and celebrate these events.She has put together a short list of books that demonstrate the value of Courage/Ometz Lev. Add these titles to books Jennifer recommends for Passover and you'll have some rich reading indeed.
