10 Good Passover reads (kids’ books)

***********This post is from 2012, but the books have stood the test of time in our household. We just ordered a few more – you still have time to order these from Amazon! I’d love to hear about any you love that we can add to our collection in the comments.****

We have quite a collection of kids’ books, including a significant amount of Passover ones. Here are our top 8 (plus 2 we bought to try out for this year), although we disagree about the order, so we’ll just call them all our favorites, OK?

Nachshon, who was afraid to swim: This is a nice story taken from the midrash about Nachshon, the first to enter the Red Sea–before it was parted. It has opened the door for lots of discussion about facing our fears and true freedom. The illustrations are kind of abstract, but my kids really like them, and this is an often requested Passover book.

 

The Passover Parrot: This book is just plain silly fun. The parrot (appropriately named Chametz) is a fun character for kids, and the kids like to repeat his words. The parrot gives the little star of the book a chance to be the hero for the whole waiting family at the seder. A fun book!

 

Pharaoh and the Fabulous Frog Invasion: This is such a cute book! It weaves midrash and Torah using rhymes my kids love, telling the story from a frog’s eye view. The illustrations are good, too. And the frogs sing the praises of Hashem. Although I find the focus on plagues for kids at Passover a little disturbing, this book gives a nice view, and is one they like, too.

The Matzo Ball Boy: This is a Jewish take on the classic Gingerbread Man story, complete with some Yiddish. Oy, the chutzpah of that Matzo Ball Boy, running from his poor Bubbe! It has a fun ending, too. Works especially well if you sing parts – at least with my audience. 😉

The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah: This is another fun take on a classic children’s story. The hardworking hen really wants the help of friends, but ends up doing it all herself. But with a happy ending. The illustrations are cute, and all my kids like this one, too.

A touch of Passover: This is a young kids’ book, with things to feel including a really cool “sticky” wine drop. My 2 year old especially likes this book, although we usually add in words instead of just reading the simple text. The important thing the textures here!

The Mouse in the Matzah Factory

This cute story tells about a mouse who watches the whole process of matza making, from the wheat in the field through the finished matza. The kids learn shmura matza (courtesy of this watchful mouse) and handmade matza. My kids always enjoy this book.

The Yankee at the Seder: This one is more serious, and better for the older kids. It looks at a Jewish soldier in the Civil War and the line from the Haggadah: “Let all who are hungry come and eat.” This book can spark some much more serious discussion, and really gives kids some food for thought.

Afikomen Mambo: This is a fun rhyming hunt for the afikomen, easy to get kids moving to. A little silly, and not much substance, but fun for kids to get into the mood..

Passover Zoo Seder: Involves animals at the seder – the elephant remembers the seder text and of course, the lion Ma-Roars. Another silly one, but sure to be a good read.

Which books do you love?

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