Of the myriad of works for parents to read with their children, ideal selections should stimulate positive growth while promoting Torah values. To be sure, children’s books are not all cut of the same cloth some present neutral messages while others suggest ideas which might run counter to Judaism. However, as has been documented, reading to young children promotes cognitive, imaginative, and emotional development which are core Jewish values. Given that attitudes towards childhood have changed in modernity, it is perhaps quixotic to search for precedence in Jewish sources for explicit support of this practice. One of the few descriptions of early childhood education appears in Avot 5:21, “Judah ben Tema said…At five years of age the study of Scripture at ten the study of Mishnah at thirteen subject to the commandments at fifteen the study of Talmud.” However, Hazal here do not relate to the modern phenomenon of bedtime reading. However, discussion of reading books with children in classical Jewish sources is non-existent. The critical aspects of reading to children: I recently reflected on my personal experience reading to my children and described the intimacy it generates.

A little old lady cures Camilla by convincing her to eat the food she loves and to disregard what others think about her.Ĭonsumption Time: 32-page picture book appropriate for ages 3 to 9. Despite the sometimes comic failures of traditional and non-traditional medicine, her situation deteriorates. Eventually, she turns less human-like and almost completely disappears in to her environment. She becomes covered in stripes, stars, and checkerboard patterns. Her body changes in outlandish ways to reflect how she believes she appears to others. As a result, on the first day of school, she becomes ill with a seemingly incurable, yet colorful, disease called Stripes. Plot summary : Schoolgirl Camilla Cream loves lima beans but is afraid to reveal this to her classmates. The Best: A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon