Five PJ Our Way Books to Read During Passover
This year start your Passover season by giving your independent reader a great Passover themed book—one of these five modern spins on the story of the Exodus.
What is the oldest book club on earth? It’s the Passover Seder, of course!
For thousands of years, families have been gathering to read, discuss, and revise the same book: The Passover Haggadah.
This year start your Passover season by giving your independent reader a great Passover themed book. Encourage your child to talk about the books they’ve read, how they felt, and what they learned. Kids can enhance your Seder by engaging your guests with questions and table topics inspired by these modern spins on the story of the Exodus.
Check out our book list plus some discussion questions below:
For Younger Readers
Scarlett and Sam: Escape from Egypt: What is the best way to truly experience the Exodus from Egypt? By traveling back in time, of course! Kids will love experiencing the actual moments of leaving Egypt with characters they can relate to, Scarlett and Sam!
Mitzvah the Mutt: What could be more fun than a dog who likes matzo balls? What would have happened if your pet had been in Egypt? What song would she have sung after crossing the Red Sea?
Mrs. Kaputnik’s Pool Hall and Matzo Ball Emporium: The Kaputnik family finds freedom from hard times with some very hard and terrible matzo balls. But things in America are not as easy as they thought it would be. If there is a humorous side to being an immigrant in a new land, the Kaputnik family has found it!
For Older Readers
The Storyteller’s Beads: The miraculous story of how many Ethiopian Jews survived and escaped the horrors of persecution by walking to Sudan and being secretly airlifted to Israel is nothing short of a modern day Exodus. This book tells the story of the unlikely friendship that develops between two Ethiopian girls that find that even when they’ve lost everything the desire for freedom remains.
Penina Levine is a Hard Boiled Egg: Penina knows she should listen to her teacher, but when her teacher insists she pretend to be the Easter bunny, Penina refuses to back down from her principles. Passover is her holiday and she will celebrate it with pride.
For Parents
Here are some discussion questions to use with these PJ Our Way books:
- What does it mean to be free?
- How does this story relate to the Passover story?
- How is this book like other books you’ve read or movies you’ve seen?
- Did this book change your mind about anything?