While this post can give you all the traditional Passover books you need (traditional means they actually refer to Passover) what about books that can give your children a window into the Passover experience without mentioning the words Passover, Exodus, Moses or even Jews?
The Passover Haggadah tells us that:
In every generation a person must see themselves as though they personally came out of Egypt. (Mishnah Pesachim 10:5, also in the traditional Haggadah)
Personally, I feel like the Passover Haggadah is a bit lacking in helping us get to that point. Frankly, even the Exodus story is hard to get our heads around, never mind the heads of young children. It took place so long ago and there’s all this magic (which makes it hard to really believe it happened).
However, if we take the central components of the Passover story (slavery, leaving home, wandering and reaching a new homeland), we might be able to put something together that actually helps our children understand the Exodus. So, here’s the book guide. You certainly don’t need all the books, but see what you can find for each category.
Understanding slavery
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The Carpet Boy’s Gift written by Pegi Deitz Shea and illustrated by Leane Morin
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The Secret Seder written by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully
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The Caged Birds of Phnom Penh written by Frederick Lipp and illustrated by Ronald Himler
Understanding the Escape
- Follow the Drinking Gourd written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter
- The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to Freedom written by Bettye Stroud and illustrated by Erin Susanne Bennett
- Show Way written by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by Judson Talbott
- Frederick Douglass: the Last Day of Slavery written by William Miller and illustrated by Cedric Lucas
Understanding the Wandering
- Brothers in Hope: the Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan written by Mary Williams and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Understanding the Arriving
- The Memory Coat written by Elvira Woodruff and illustrated by Michael Dooling
Questions to think about with your child/ren
- What is it like to be a slave?
- What is it like to leave slavery?
- What is it like to arrive in a new home?
- How different is Egypt in Biblical times from any of these times?
- How can we make a difference?
Reading Kids Are Dreaming Kids 