Ferdinand to Fredrick

Ferdinand, The Story of by Munro Leaf (Viking Press, 1988)

darchei shalom--ways of peace and Tsa’ar Ba’alei Chayyim prohibition of cruelty to animals, acts of compassion, and proper methods of treatment of non-human life.

The classic story of the peace-loving bull who won’t fight no matter how provoked he is. Also a good story to discus the prohibition against cruelty to animals. This book may be a classic but trying to explain bullfighting as a sport was totally incomprehensible to my 5 year-old son who had learned the Jewish value of not mistreating animals. What a mensch!

Folk Tales

Most of the Yiddishkeit that gets absorbed by children is done through the retelling of folk tales and stories. Here is a collection of the ones I have or have used. All of them are excellent resources and most are favorites of my children.

A Treasury of Jewish Folk Tales

edited by Nathan Ausubel

A Treasury of Yiddish Stories

edited by Irving Howe and Eliezer Greenberg

God’s Mailbox: More Stories About Stories in the Bible

by Marc Gellman

Hammer on the Rock: A Midrash Reader

edited by Nahum N. Glatzer

Jewish Folktales

selected and retold by Pinhas Sadeh

Jewish Stories One Generation Tells Another

retold by Peninnah Schram

Journeys With Elijah: Eight Tales of the Prophets

by Barbara Diamond Goldin

Legends of the Bible

by Louis Ginzberg

Miriam’s Tambourine: Jewish Folktales From Around the World

selected and retold by Howard Schwartz and Lloyd Bloom

Saving the World Entire and 100 Other Beloved Parables From the Talmud

by Rabbi Bradley R. Bleefeld and Robert L. Shook

Stories From the Past; Seeds for the Future by

Tales of the Hasidim by Martin Buber

The Diamond Tree: Jewish Tales From Around the World

selected and retold by Howard Schwartz and Barbara Rush

The Land of Sheba: Tales of the Jews of Yemen

edited by S.D. Goitein

While Standing on One Foot: Puzzle Stories and Wisdom Tales from the Jewish Tradition

by Nina Jaffe and Steve Zeitlin

Yiddish Folktales edited by Beatrice Silverman Weinreich

Fish is Fish by Leo Lionni (Pantheon Books, 1970)

A fish wants to be a frog but discovers that it is best to be himself. Here’s a good story to tell:

The story is told of Zusha, the great Chassidic Master, who lay crying on his deathbed. His students asked him, "Rebbe, why are you so sad? After all the mitzvahs and good deeds you have done, you will surely get a great reward in heaven!"

"I'm afraid!" said Zusha. "Because when I get to heaven, I know God's not going to ask me 'Why weren't you more like Moses?' or 'Why weren't you more like King David?' But I'm afraid that God will ask, 'Zusha, why weren't you more like Zusha?' And then what will I say!?"

Fredrick by Leo Lionni

His book about a mouse who stores up mental pictures of colors and warmth to get through the winter while his friends are busy working reminded me of the Jewish tradition of storing up good deeds to be rewarded for them in the world-to-come. His friends chastise him for not working but when winter comes they turn to him to tell of the mental pictures he stored as a way of relieving the dullness of winter. Reading this book reminded me that all the effort used to help my children learn to love Shabbat will hopefully be rewarded in my world-to-come here on earth. Each time I guide them gently away from a non-Shabbat activity and towards observance then perhaps I will be rewarded with children and grandchildren who see Shabbat as a joy rather than a burden as my grandparents must have seen Shabbat.