Friday, 26 March 2021

What to read your children this Pesach

Pesach is a special time of the year for children: they are allowed to stay out late, presents are expected and there are always more occasions than usual to spend more time with family and relatives. It is a time for family and being together, which can be used also as an opportunity for learning about the traditions of the holiday and Judaism in general. For this post, I collaborated with Kar-Ben Publishing House to bring you the best reading list for the holidays. With a good book, the memories are even stronger.

Pesach night is a different night from all the other nights, but this time, Jessica is sad that she would not be able to show to his grandfather how good she is at telling the four questions in Hebrew. For her, Pesach means to be together with the family, especially with the grandparents. 'Even though seder night is supposed to be different from all other nights, what I love most about Passover at my grandparents' are the things that are always the same'. But this time, the grandfather is sick in bed and he cannot lead the Seder, it seems. However, Jessica found a solution to bring back the ambiance of the old times, involving the grandpa into this year Pesach. A delicate story about family love and respect, explained through beautiful and dramatic illustrations. 




During a power cut occuring during the first night of Pesach, the neighbours are pouring one by one through the door left ajar on purpose to welcome the propher Elijahu. Not all of them are Jewish but they are well welcomed around the table. They are more and more of them coming, and even the chair left free for the prophet is taken. But this is all for good and surprisingly, it seems that Elijah is around...



When parents are separating, children always suffer but how the situation will be further managed is only the responsibility of both parents. A girl - unnamed - is worried how she will spend the holidays now, after her mother and father got divorced. Hopefully, there are two Seders therefore Pesach can be spend in two places. One year after the other, she is adjusting to the new painful reality but as her mother wisely said 'families are charoset. Some have more ingredients than others, some stich together better than others, some are sweeter than others. But each one is tasty in its own way'. Besides a glossary of terms, the book has also a couple of charoset recipes, including a very special Yemenite one. A book recommended for 5 to 9 years.



On Pesach, children are preparing very well not only for the four questions, but also for understanding the various customs and episodes part of the seder. This book is an excellent resource to check the knowledge about the holiday, with questions and answers, puzzles and other entertaining challenges. It is aimed for children just learning to read, but also to the smaller one, only recently introduced to the holiday. If you plan to have a special seder for children, this book is a must, as it is well written, smart and can be used for group activities. 




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