Holiday Book Lists
Tu B’Shevat Books
Temple Israel of Westport
Library
These books can be found on top of the bookcases with children’s books in the Temple Israel Library.
| Author | Title | Comments | Location | |
| * | Syme, Daniel | The Jewish Home: A Guide for Jewish Living | Three-page chapter on the holiday consists of questions and answers about the holiday, marriage trees, the JNF, and even a Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav quote. | 230 Sym |
| Cardozo, Arlene. | Jewish family celebrations : the Sabbath, festivals, and ceremonies | From 1982, perhaps before Tu B’Shevat seders became popular, this book actually has nothing about this albeit minor holiday, but it looks interesting. | 238 Car | |
| * | Sarna, Jonathan D.
|
A Time to Every Purpose: Letters to a Young Jew | In this series of letters to his daughter, Professor Sarna discusses the origins, themes, new observances and meanings, and contemporary issues of Tu B’Shevat and other Jewish holidays. | 240 Sar |
| * | Strassfeld, Michael | The Jewish Holidays: A Guide and Commentary | Tu B’Shevat—history, customs, mysticism, Jewish calendar, commentary—all of it interesting and worthwhile. | 240 Str |
| * | Biers-Ariel, Matt | Solomon and the Trees | Illustrated book. Only after King builds the Temple does he realize how many trees have been destroyed in the process. Biblical history and Midrash, ecology, Israel. | CL 230 Bie |
| Cederbaum, Sophia N. | A first book of Jewish Holidays | Very short stories deal with the meaning of Tu B’Shevat, conservation, the holiday in Israel, a prayer for eating the fruit of trees, and carob. | CL 230 Ced | |
| Cooper, Ilene | Jewish Holidays All Year Round | Two-page explanation of the holiday, trees in the Bible, JNF, relevant foods, and ecology followed by activities, including growing sweet potatoes and parsley for Passover. | CL 230 Coo | |
| Gold-Vukson, Marji E. | Grandpa and Me on Tu B’Shevat | <in the catalog, but borrowed; does anyone know its whereabouts?> | CL 230 Gol | |
| Kolatch, Alfred J. | Let’s Celebrate our Jewish holidays | One page explains how holiday observance in ancient Palestine and modern Israel. | CL 230 Kol | |
| Rouss, Sylvia A. | Sammy Spider’s first Tu B’Shevat | <in the catalog, but not on the shelves; does anyone know its whereabouts?> | CL 230 Rou |
|
| * | Drucker, Malka.
|
The family treasury of Jewish holidays
|
“Honi and the Carob Tree” from the Midrash [a Rip van Winkle story with a “Pay it forward” message] , Janice May Udry’s Caldecott Medal-winning A Tree is Nice(without the illustrations!), a Tu B’Shevat seder, how to plant a tree, and music and lyrics of “The Tu B’Sh’vat Song” by Debbie Friedman z”l. | CL 296.4 Dru |
| * | Musleah, Rahel.
|
Sharing blessings: Children’s Stories for Exploring the Spirit of the Jewish Holidays | Three-page story, with explanatory introduction, in which David and his Grandpa discuss the wonders of nature. It ends with Shehecheyanu and the English translation “… to live to this day to say Wow! about the world.” Nice illustrations. | CL 296.4 Mus |
| * | Lehman-Wilzig, Tami | Meyer Aaron Levi and his lemon tree | Picture book about Tzedakah, but good for Tu B’shvat since it’s about sharing the fruits of a (lemon) tree. | CL 807 Leh |
These books can be found on top of the bookcases with children’s books in the Temple Israel Library.
These books are recommended for Tu B’Shevat, the New Year of Trees. Most are about Jewish holidays in general, with only a little bit about this minor holiday. Or they are about trees and only indirectly about Tu B’Shevat. The ones I particularly like have asterisks in the first column. I especially like to Honi story, which can be found in other books as well. Some people like Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree; I prefer to see it as a cautionary tale about dysfunctional relationships. Yaffa Ganz’s The Tree That Grew tells a similar story, but with the hope of renewal at the end.
