Mode

kid

parent

10-year-old Shloimie loves baseball, collecting stamps, and hanging out with his best friend, Hershel. Then he accidentally breaks a car window and has to shovel snow to pay for the damage. Will Shloimie ever have fun again?
Ages 9+
Pages 161
Publisher Hachai Publishing
Coming Sep 2022

Average Rating

24 Reviews
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What the Book Is About

It’s 1947, and Shloimie Paporovich is a 10-year-old boy living in Toronto, Canada. His parents left Poland just before the war, and his father works as a garment presser to support the family. When Shloimie breaks the neighbor’s car window, his best friend Hershel reminds him of the Jewish teaching that “everything is for the good.” Shloimie is pretty sure that’s not true.

Meanwhile, Shloimie’s parents receive a letter from a cousin living in a DP camp in Sweden, one of the few family members to have survived the war. Over the course of many months, the family works to bring the cousin to Canada while Shloimie rakes leaves and shovels snow to pay off his debt. By the end of the book, Shloimie learns that “the good” can often show up in expected ways.
 
This sweet story offers readers an engaging and developmentally appropriate view into the lives of immigrants and Holocaust survivors in the years after WWII. An author’s note and historical note provide useful context and additional information.
 

Jewish Content & Values

  • Shloimie and his family are religious Jews, attending synagogue services and celebrating holidays including Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Hanukkah, and Purim.
  • There are a number of Hebrew and Yiddish and phrases throughout the story, and the book includes a glossary.
  • Jewish practices and values such as gratitude (hakarat hatov), caring for the sick (bikur cholim), and charitable giving (tzedakah) are central to the story.

Content Advisory

During the Purim celebration, there is a brief reference to the “modern day Haman attempting to wipe out the Jews.”
What the Book Is About

What the Book Is About

It’s 1947, and Shloimie Paporovich is a 10-year-old boy living in Toronto, Canada. His parents left Poland just before the war, and his father works as a garment presser to support the family. When Shloimie breaks the neighbor’s car window, his best friend Hershel reminds him of the Jewish teaching that “everything is for the good.” Shloimie is pretty sure that’s not true.

Meanwhile, Shloimie’s parents receive a letter from a cousin living in a DP camp in Sweden, one of the few family members to have survived the war. Over the course of many months, the family works to bring the cousin to Canada while Shloimie rakes leaves and shovels snow to pay off his debt. By the end of the book, Shloimie learns that “the good” can often show up in expected ways.
 
This sweet story offers readers an engaging and developmentally appropriate view into the lives of immigrants and Holocaust survivors in the years after WWII. An author’s note and historical note provide useful context and additional information.
 

Jewish Content & Values

  • Shloimie and his family are religious Jews, attending synagogue services and celebrating holidays including Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Hanukkah, and Purim.
  • There are a number of Hebrew and Yiddish and phrases throughout the story, and the book includes a glossary.
  • Jewish practices and values such as gratitude (hakarat hatov), caring for the sick (bikur cholim), and charitable giving (tzedakah) are central to the story.

Content Advisory

During the Purim celebration, there is a brief reference to the “modern day Haman attempting to wipe out the Jews.”