Best Jewish books for Children and Teens: A JPS Guide

2. Holidays

CHAPTER 2 pHolidaysP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction For as long as literature for Jewish children has been published in North America, books about the Jewish holidays, along with Bible stories, have been predominant. Often appearing as religious school textbooks, they came into their own with the publication of The Adventures of K’tonton by Sadie Rose Weilerstein (Women’s League of Conservative Judaism, 1935) and Hillel’s Happy Holidays by Mamie Gamoran (Union of American Hebrew Congregations, 1939). Even earlier, Weilerstein’s What Danny Did (Bloch, 1928) spelled out the form that most of these holiday books would take. That form was what Jonathan Krasner calls “a recipe for American Jewish integration.”1 In his article by that title, Krasner describes how the concept of “cultural pluralism” overtook the model of the “melting pot” in American Jewish life. Faced with rapid assimilation of second-generation Jews, cultural pluralism was adopted by community and educational leaders as a way for American Jews to retain their distinct Jewish identity while integrating into American life. “This program, balancing survival and integration, became the dominant education agenda of the interwar years.”2 Acculturated American Jewish teachers were trained and employed to staff religious schools, and Jewish literacy assumed great importance. Textbooks and storybooks that featured fictional American Jewish role models were created, and both Weilerstein’s and Gamoran’s books were leading examples, with title characters who were “archetypes, their fictional lives exemplifying a healthy American-Jewish synthesis …”3 Yet despite their popularity, holiday books have faced a great deal of criticism over the years. Fanny Goldstein, the Boston librarian and first bibliographer of Jewish children’s books, wrote numerous articles stating that there were too many holiday books being published, to the detriment of other subjects. Enid Davis described many of them as “marked by poor writing, poor art work, and stereotypical role casting. In these books every Jewish family has one son and one daughter; you won’t find a single-parent family, a mixed marriage, a mother without an apron, or even a momentarily unhappy face.”4 Writing in the Jewish Book Annual, where Fanny Goldstein’s articles and bibliographies about Jewish children’s books often appeared, Inabeth Miller condemned holiday books for children as “peripheral in nature … simplistic … devoid of the substance and beauty of many adult volumes on the same subjects.”5 Ms. Goldstein’s criticism is still valid: most Jewish children’s literature specialists would agree that there are more than enough holiday books available and that many seem merely repetitious. Yet, their quality has manifestly improved since Davis’s and Miller’s day. Gone are the overt preaching, stilted writing, coy dialogue, trite jingles, and blurred little pictures that were once the norm. Yes, the families portrayed in them usually are still of Ashkenazic background and still consist of children with two parents—one of each gender. But now, fathers are shown pitching in with the cooking and cleaning; a gay relative may show up; and intermarriages are sometimes featured. The once pervasive tone of happiness is occasionally muted by dilemmas about Jewish identity or depth of observance, especially in books written 19 for young teens. In fact, many Jewish holiday books published in the last few decades are glorious looking in their overall format and illustrations. Many have been written and illustrated by well-known authors and artists, both Jewish and non-Jewish, and their books are full of stories, information, and artistic interpretations that will pique the interests of today’s children, from toddlers to teens. Best Jewish Books for Children and Teens 20 Chapter 2 • Holidays Recommended Reading Holiday Collections Aleichem, Sholom Holiday Tales of Sholom Aleichem Translated and selected by Aliza Shevrin Illustrated by Thomas di Grazia SCRIBNER, 1979. 145 PAGES. AGES 9–12. These seven stories, set during different holidays, cast a warm glow on shtetl life. Holidays are special times in the lives of Jews and here they are observed with a very human mixture of reverence and rivalry among the families, rich and poor, who share them. Each story is narrated from the point of view of a boy whose voice will still resonate with readers of today. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cooper, Ilene Jewish Holidays All Year Round: A Family Treasury Illustrated by Elivia Savadier ABRAMS, 2002. 80 PAGES. AGES 10–12. Winner of a National Jewish Book Award Published in association with The Jewish Museum, New York, this handsome collection of Jewish holiday...