These stories are works that focus on weird, magical, and absurd situations that require some big-kid heroism. From a STEM story about a girl saving Rosh Hashanah, to a Men-in-Black-style squad of Hanukkah fairies, to a tree that needs some help believing in himself, you’ll find lots of joy, laughter, and fun waiting for readers of all ages!
Stories include:
- Miriam and the Honey-Spitter
- Hanukkah Squad!
- Leah’s Magic Dreidel
- Don’t Unbraid the Challah!
- Carl
- The 11th Plague
- Tree.
- Strange Times at Shushan Elementary
- The Substitute Teacher
- Old Country
- Enough with the Grogger Already!
Miriam and the Honey-Spitter
Miriam and the Honey-Spitter is a story about a young inventor who uses her STEM skills to save Rosh Hashanah.
When Miriam’s mother is overwhelmed with holiday guests Miriam tries building a robot to help. In the process she learns about failure and perseverance as part of the spirit of invention, and that she belongs to a line of women Jewish inventors who made the world a better place with their brains and their work ethic.
You can think of this story as Rosie Revere: Engineer meets Jeremy’s Dreidel.
And now you can watch it on YouTube:
Hanukkah Squad!
A squad of Men-in-Black-style Hanukkah fairies have the holiday under control until one of their own goes rogue.
Each member of the squad is responsible for safeguarding a different element of the holiday (latkes, dreidels, candles, chocolate felt, and extra grand-parents), so this story is useful for introducing various parts of a Hanukkah celebration. But it also reminds us to be careful about over-doing things during the holidays!
Leah’s Magic Dreidel
A young girl learns that wishing before planning ahead can lead to disaster.
When Leah’s aunt sends her a magic wishing dreidel, she thinks she has the world at her feet. Before long though, her wishes get out of hand, and she will need careful thinking (rather than just quick) to make sure that she doesn’t wreck her parents’ Hanukkah party!
Don’t Unbraid the Challah!
Don’t Unbraid the Challah! is the story of Rachel, an imaginative young girl who has trouble controlling her artistic impulses. On Friday nights, when her Bubbe’s back is turned, Rachel keeps unbraiding the challah, and winding it into wild and fantastic sculptures. But on one Friday in particular, it seems like Rachel’s sneaky nephew Shimon might derail the whole evening with his antics; can Rachel harness her talents in time to save Shabbat?
Carl
Every year, Laila has a contest with her brothers to see who can find the perfect tree for the holiday of Tu bishvat. What she finds instead is a tree named Carl who needs to find a way to believe in himself.
The 11th Plague
Somewhere in the universe, thousands of years ago, the Passover plagues are waiting their turn to be called down into the Passover story. The problem is, an eleventh plague, Hiccups, wants in on the action. And although he might be too little to make it as one of the big ones, is it possible that even the smallest of us can make a difference?
Tree.
(This one is for the Jewish kids who live in places where all their friends celebrate a certain non-Jewish December holiday. You’re not alone.)
Even though her holiday may not be the flashiest one around, a young girl is determined to stick with the one that means a lot to her. Despite being followed home by a gloriously-decorated and persistent evergreen tree, Ziva tries a few different ways of explaining that the tree’s holiday is just not for her.
Strange Times at Shushan Elementary
In a fresh twist on the story of Purim, some nerdy kids at Shushan Elementary school are getting bullied by their mean Vice Principal, Ted. With a little help from the new school secretary, Esther, the kids must try to find a way to beat Ted at his own game (which, in this case, happens to be dodgeball….)
The Substitute Teacher
Josh thinks Hebrew school is boring, until he discovers that his new substitute teacher is a child-eating giant squid. And although he asks for advice from a whole bunch of grownups, Josh will eventually have to draw on his Jewish education to solve this very un-boring problem!
Old Country
Simon’s grandparents were a little embarrassing. They talked really loud and cooked weird things and drove a car that was bigger than Simon’s bedroom. But when there’s a problem at Simon’s school with some grown-ups and a menacing cake that gets way out of hand, it turns out that Simon’s grandparents know exactly what to do. Maybe it’s because they’re from the old country…
Enough with the Grogger Already!
When Eliot discovers a little man in his backpack, he thinks he’s got a new friend to play with. The problem is, the little man doesn’t understand when to be quiet–and Eliot keeps getting in trouble for it! As his new friend gets noisier and noisier, Eliot needs to find a way to rein him in and stay out of trouble in the process!
Rick Duchalski 