Enduring Questions : Using Jewish Children’s Literature in Classrooms

Children’s literature is ubiquitous in preschool and elementary school classrooms and in school libraries. Teachers use children’s literature for pedagogical purposes and to excite children’s imaginations and expose them to “worlds” beyond their own experience. Over the past thirty years, teachers have increasingly used children’s literature to expose their students to cultural, racial, and religious diversity as well as introducing their students to issues of social justice and social equity. Unfortunately, Jewish children’s literature is often absent in the preschool and elementary school classroom. When it is present, it is almost exclusively Holocaust literature. The result is that Jewish people are nearly invisible in the children’s literature found in preschool and elementary school classrooms and when it is available, it presents a “picture” to children of Jews as victims. The purpose of our book is to address this problematic situation and provide teachers with guidance in the use of Jewish children’s literature in the preschool and elementary school classroom.

There is a broad range of authentic, high quality Jewish children’s literature that could be used by preschool and elementary school teachers regardless of how many Jewish children they have in their class. It is as important for teachers with no Jewish children in their classroom as it is for teachers with some or many Jewish children in the class to expose all of their students to Jewish children’s literature. Our book introduces preschool and elementary teachers to a broad range of high-quality children’s literature books and stories and provides them with background information so that they can use Jewish children’s literature thoughtfully with their students.