Do you read lots of books to your kids before bed? Are you always looking for new titles to add to the collection? And are you interested in instilling some Jewish religious values in your kids?

If so, consider adding one (or all) of these five books to your bedtime routine. Each one teaches the tykes a Jewish value* (even if its not immediately apparent). Lilah Tov!

* These values can all be traced back to the Torah or Jewish scripture. That said, these are human values, too, and each of these books can be understood that way, as well.

1. Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson 

What it’s about: The witch has a broom and a cat and a tall hat and long red braids. On her travels, she meets a dog and a frog and a bird that all ask if they can join her on the broom. The witch happily invites them to hop on. The broom breaks, and then the crew is accosted by a dragon. But the animals band together and save the witch. In gratitude, she builds a souped-up broom with something for everyone.

Why it’s great: The rhymes make for great reading aloud and the pictures are detailed and a little cartoonish, so the kids like them. But mostly, we like this story because the animals all take care of the witch. They repay her generosity by scaring off the dragon and they do it by cooperating.

Why it’s Jewish: The book of Genesis describes Abraham’s hospitality to strangers and defines the Jewish value of hachnasat orchim (welcoming guests). In Judaism, hospitality is a mitzvah, and one that is easily understood by little ones. The witch did not know the dog, bird, or frog, but she willingly invited them onto her broom and even went so far as to renovate her broom to make sure they were comfortable! Similarly, we should encourage our kids to welcome friends new and old into their home (assuming we’ve all been through the stranger-danger talk).

Continue reading.