Beyond Storybooks
PJ Library holiday guides make year-round Jewish experiences easy and accessible.
By Jessica McCormick, Director of Family Experience
This story appeared in the summer 2025 issue of PROOF, a PJ Library magazine.
PJ Library is ready to complete our groundbreaking series of holiday guides spanning the entire Jewish calendar.
When PJ Library subscriber families opened their mailboxes last October, they found something a little different from the typical storybook. Inside was a colorful, engaging 80-page holiday guide that gave them myriad access points and ideas for celebrating wintertime Jewish holidays such as Sigd, Hanukkah, Tu B’Shevat, and Purim.
In fact, hundreds of thousands of families are discovering new ways to celebrate Jewish life through PJ Library’s innovative holiday guides.
Building on nearly two decades of experience bringing Jewish stories into homes and inspiring families to have Jewish conversations, PJ Library has created a groundbreaking series of holiday guides — unlike anything else available — that cater to Jewish families’ diverse needs. First came In Every Generation: A PJ Library Family Haggadah, which the Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s Next Generation Advisory Board (comprised of young professionals who provide feedback on projects to the senior leadership team) envisioned as a way for families around the world to infuse their Passover seders with meaning and delight. Next PJ Library released A Time to Grow: A PJ Library Family Guide for Starting the Jewish New Year and A Time to Hope: A PJ Library Family Guide for Hanukkah Through Purim. These richly illustrated guides provide flexible, accessible approaches to celebrating holidays from Rosh Hashanah through the first buds of spring. Each guide offers tips on preparing for the holidays and creative entry points for celebration, ensuring that every family — regardless of background or observance level — can find meaningful ways to connect with Jewish traditions. From art projects and music to rituals and recipes, our guides are designed to empower every family on their unique Jewish journey.
Families find knowledge and tips to enhance Jewish celebrations in PJ Library holiday guides.
PHOTO BY LYNNE GRAVES
Last winter, countless families told us A Time to Hope had enriched their winter holiday celebrations. Many said they used the guide’s eight-nights/eight-activities paradigm (eat, play, sing, make, tell, perform, learn, give) to bring depth and joy to their Hanukkah experience. One family studied Talmud together in the glow of the Hanukkah lights (learning prompts are suggested on pages 37 and 38). Another sampled Hanukkah foods each night from different regions of the world (illustrated on pages 28 and 29). And the impact goes well beyond Hanukkah. “I received A Time to Hope in the mail and read it just before Thanksgiving,” says Shira S. of Shaftsbury, Vermont. “It prompted me to prepare an entire Ethiopian meal for my family for Sigd. I had never heard of Sigd before, so I found this part of the guide wonderful.”
Now PJ Library is ready to complete our series of guides spanning the entire Jewish calendar. We are proud to introduce our upcoming guide, A Time to Gather: A PJ Library Family Guide for Passover Through Shavuot, and our interactive two-book set on Shabbat, A Palace in Time. These new offerings are designed to round out the Jewish year, inspiring families to adopt new annual practices (such as hosting an Israeli-style picnic for Yom Ha’atzmaut) or create their own weekly ritual to mark Shabbat (discussing what it means to truly be at rest, for example). Like our previous guides, these new resources will invite families to craft a Jewish home life on their terms while also encouraging them to seek and form community in ways that are personally relevant.
PJ Library subscribers tell us there’s a need for these materials. In a survey, over 90% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the guides help their family better understand Jewish holidays. Nearly 80% said they were very likely to recommend the guides to other families with young children.
“The new guide I received actually brought me to tears,” says Danielle P. of Toronto, Canada. “The guide is so beautifully done; it shows the vastness of the Jewish experience and community and is a welcome resource at a time when adding a little more light to our lives is much needed.”
PJ Library relies on donor support to continue creating vital resources like these that enrich familiesʼ lives.
We look forward to fostering accessible Jewish experiences for subscribers throughout the year — and for many years to come.
Helping Families Connect with Shabbat
By Danny Paller, Creative Director
PJ Library is producing an interactive two-book set on Shabbat.
To help families celebrate the Jewish holiday that comes every week, PJ Library is producing a beautifully illustrated two-book Shabbat set called A Palace in Time. The first book, geared toward kids, is an immersive Shabbat storybook that begins, “Imagine if … time stopped.” The story is about the spirit of Shabbat, and the book contains interactive items families can use to add delight to their Shabbat experience. The second book, geared toward parents, is a family guide that highlights the meaning of Shabbat, different ways to prepare and celebrate, and ideas for connecting as a family on Shabbat — including songs, stories, conversations, and games.
A Palace in Time will welcome every PJ Library family into this special time of the week — shared by Jewish families across the globe — and will both deepen their understanding of Shabbat and invite them to make it their own.
Help make Jewish life accessible to families near you and around the world. Visit pjlibrary.org/proofgift.