Rosh Hashanah books for kids
From kid-friendly cookbooks to games and activities, Rosh Hashanah can be fun
Music and dance
Dance, Sing, Remember: A Celebration of Jewish Holidays by Leslie Kimmelman captures a year of Jewish holidays from Rosh Hashanah to Shavuot.
Each festival is explained in simple language and enhanced by music, games and recipes designed to bring the meaning to life: harvest muffins for the fruits of Sukkot, dance steps for Yom Ha’atzmaut, and a Shabbat song for Friday-night dinners.
The illustrations by Tel Aviv-born Ora Eitan are simple but original. This is a great basic reference book that parents will enjoy reading to children all year round.
A high holyday journey
For primary children, On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by Cathy Goldberg Fishman, is a great introduction to the high holy days.
Told from the perspective of a young girl, the book follows her through the high holy days, beginning with Rosh Hashanah and following on to Yom Kippur 10 days later.
The young narrator talks about her experience of this period as being a special time with family. Through her eyes, we are taken through Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur activities and she explains the traditions and symbols in simple terms.
Illustrator Melanie Hall’s watercolours add a real gentleness and warmth to the story. There are few children’s books that combine the two holidays in this format and the writer does a good job of explaining the themes underlying Yom Kippur to young children.
Tempting taste buds
The Children’s Jewish Holiday Kitchen, written by Joan Nathan and illustrated by Brooke Scudder, features more than 70 creative and child-friendly Jewish recipes covering all the main Jewish festivals.
Each recipe starts with a brief explanation, sets out ingredients, equipment and how many people the dish feeds. It breaks down the instructions for what adults should do, what adults should supervise children doing and what children can do on their own.
There are also related craft activities and hints for introducing children to the Torah portion of the week. Packed with a vast array of foods, flavors, and ideas from around the world, this hardcover book is great value.
Reprinted with permission of the Australian Jewish News
