Enduring Questions

Childrens literature is ubiquitous in preschool and elementary school classrooms and in school libraries. Teachers use childrens literature for pedagogical purposes and to excite childrens imaginations and expose them to worlds beyond their own experience. Over the past thirty years, teachers have increasingly used childrens 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 childrens 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 childrens 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 childrens literature in the preschool and elementary school classroom. There is a broad range of authentic, high quality Jewish childrens 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 childrens literature. Our book introduces preschool and elementary teachers to a broad range of high-quality childrens literature books and stories and provides them with background information so that they can use Jewish childrens literature thoughtfully with their students.