Enduring Questions: Using Jewish Children’s Literature in Classrooms
Ebook
This accessible guide to Jewish children’s literature explores many of the enduring questions of the Jewish tradition: What is Jewish history? What are love, wisdom, humor, ritual, evil, and justice? Jewish children’s literature matters for all children, and with this practical guide parents and teachers will be empowered to choose and discuss books and stories with Jewish or non-Jewish children.
Jewish children’s literature is often absent in school classrooms and when it is available, it presents a picture to children of Jews as victims. Enduring Questions provides teachers with guidance in the use of Jewish children’s literature in the preschool and elementary school classroom.
Enduring Questions includes extensive bibliographies of Jewish children’s literature, digital resources for teachers, and suggestions for further reading. With summaries of suggested books and texts, honest recommendations from teachers who have used these texts in the classroom, and practical curricular connections, this comprehensive book is suited for those looking for an introduction to teaching Jewish children's literature and those familiar with it.
The book provides a framework about the use of Jewish children’s literature as an opportunity for all children, both Jewish and non-Jewish, to be philosophers and engage in dialog and debate. The enduring questions thoughtfully explored through Jewish literature are important for all students growing up in a diverse multicultural world.
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Permissions
Introduction – Why and How to Use Jewish Children’s Literature in the Preschool and Elementary School Classroom
Chapter 1: What makes Jewish Children’s Literature Jewish?
Chapter 2: What Is Our Story? What Is Our History? A Brief History of Jewish Children’s Literature
Chapter 3: What Is Love? Stories of Family, Friendship, Animals, and Nature
Chapter 4: What is Time? Jewish Rites and Holidays Through Jewish Children's Literature
Chapter 5: What is Wisdom and What Is Foolishness? Humor in Jewish Children’s Literature
Chapter 6: What Is Evil? How Might We Respond to Evil? Jewish Children’s Literature, Antisemitism, and the Holocaust
Chapter 7: What is Justice? What is a Righteous Person to Do? Jewish Children’s Literature and the Pursuit of Tikkun Olam
Chapter 8: How Might We Imagine A Life For Ourselves Together In The World? Using Jewish Children’s Literature in Multicultural Education
Glossary
Appendices
Appendix A: Select List of Jewish Children’s Literature Organized by Topics / Themes
Appendix B: Select Resources for Using Jewish Children’s Literature in the Preschool Through Elementary Classroom
Appendix C: Select List of Professional and Scholarly Books and Articles on Jewish Children’s Literature
Index
About the Authors
During a time when incidents of anti-Semitism are on the rise, a guide to Jewish children’s literature is to be celebrated. Enduring Questions is an excellent place to start. The authors chose their title to indicate the structure and themes of the text. The enduring questions they address include what makes Jewish children's literature Jewish? What is Jewish history? What are love, wisdom, humor, ritual, evil, and justice? For each chapter, authors provide summaries of suggested texts, sidebars with pedagogical suggestions from American teachers, and thoughtful responses to these enduring questions. Focused on providing classroom teachers from preschool to grade 6, librarians, and parents with books and stories they might choose, the text also includes extensive bibliographies of Jewish children’s literature, digital resources for teachers, and scholarly books and articles on Jewish children’s literature. The authors state their aim is to “provide a framework about the use of Jewish children’s literature as an opportunity for all children, both Jewish and non-Jewish, to be philosophers and engage in dialog and debate.” The book is written in a very readable, accessible manner and successfully achieves this goal. Essential. Undergraduates through faculty; professionals; general readers.
These distinguished authors have provided an excellent guide for any teacher (Jewish or non-Jewish) to encourage student engagement with the immense variety of engaging Jewish literature. Thanks to this important work, Jewish children's books will finally be discovered by a non-Jewish audience who will be delighted to have these top educators help open up a new literary world for their students.
Because bigotry, antisemitism, and racism continue to find their way into our schools and society, the need for authentic representation and respect for children’s identities and communities is greater than ever before. Beautifully written and creatively organized, Enduring Questions includes cultural insights, suggested literature, and curricular resources to enrich the understanding of the Jewish experience for students and teachers of all backgrounds. This book will be cherished by educators and families who work towards a future that is inclusive and multicultural.
This compelling and thorough book shares the range of Jewish children’s literature: stories of love, stories of memory, stories that evoke laughter and tears. But what remains with readers most is that which sets out to reason why Jewish children’s literature matters for all children, how the identities of Jewish people have been broadened, and what places these books have in the wider context of what we read together. The practical curricular connections are supported with honest insights from teachers who share their experiences. From establishing the current state of the field to offering resources to study further, this book will guide readers who know the topic well as well as those who need introduction. For all, this book affirms and inspires as it establishes the necessary place of Jewish children’s literature for all readers.
Carefully structured and engagingly written, Enduring Questions helps to make the particulars of Jewish difference legible on the American cultural landscape. This is a practical manual for incorporating Jewish literature at all stages of the curriculum from preschool through elementary school, regardless of the level of teachers’ and students’ familiarity with Jewish history and practice. Deftly harnessing the energy of the stories themselves, the authors lead readers on a journey far beyond the Holocaust narratives that dominate the limited Jewish content in most mainstream educational settings. Of particular value are the sidebars in teachers’ own words describing how they deployed a given text in the classroom and how students in a variety of settings received and spoke back to the stories.
Enduring Questions expands awareness of Jewish books for children beyond the typical focus on the Holocaust or Hanukah. The authors provide cogent reasons for using Jewish books as an integral part of multicultural literature with children. The authors weave in Jewish learning that will support teachers with choosing and using Jewish books with their students. In each chapter, the authors provide teacher testimonies of using specific titles with their students. In addition, the authors provide excellent examples of enduring questions for each book they present. Finally, the appendices are valuable resources for all educators.
- Title: Enduring Questions: Using Jewish Children’s Literature in Classrooms
- Authors: David Bloome, Rosemary Horowitz, Laurie Katz, Evelyn Freeman
- Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
- Print Publication Date: 2022
- Logos Release Date: 2022
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781475865370, 9781475865356, 147586535X, 1475865376
- Resource ID: LLS:9781475865370
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-05-23T20:55:35Z
David Bloome is emeritus professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning of The Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology.
Evelyn B. Freeman is professor emerita at The Ohio State University where she taught courses in children’s literature and language arts, prepared elementary teachers, and worked with graduate students. She retired as dean and director of The Ohio State University at Mansfield.
Rosemary Horowitzwas a member of Appalachian State’s faculty for more than a quarter century, Dr. Horowitz was highly-committed Holocaust educator and English professor.
Laurie Katz is professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning of The Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology.