10 Jewish Children's Books to Read on Father's Day

It's a mitzvah to honor parents and grandparents. In preparation for Father's Day, here are a number of PJ Library selections that put dads at the heart of their stories.

Consider reading a couple of the titles below as a family before (or during!) Father's Day. Learn more about kibud horim, honoring one's parents.

 

Fridays Are Special

Fridays Are Special by Chris Barash
 

For this child’s family, Fridays aren’t like other days. On Fridays, the hustle and bustle is a little different. Everyone seems to be getting ready for something special -- something cozy and wonderful. What could it be?


It Could Always Be Worse

It Could Always Be Worse by Margot Zemach
 

In this beloved tale from Eastern Europe, a distraught man discovers a positive attitude for dealing with the overcrowding in his small home.


Jodie's First Dig

Jodie's First Dig by Anna Levine
 

Jodie dreams of one day becoming a famous archaeologist. When her father takes her on a dig in Modi’in, home of the Maccabees, she is able to participate in a unique way.


Feivel’s Flying Horses

Feivel’s Flying Horses by Heidi Smith Hyde
 

Feivel’s wife and children stay in the Old Country while he comes to New York to make a better life for them all. A wood carver, Feivel creates carousel horses for a Coney Island amusement park – all the while working to earn enough to reunite the family.


Can Hens Give Milk?

Can Hens Give Milk? by Joan Betty Stuchner
 

Tova lives with her family on a small farm in Chelm. The farm has hens and a rooster, but no cow. Then one night, Tova's father has a dream about how to get milk without actually owning a cow. Can it be done? Finally, the wise rabbi comes to the rescue -- with a little help from Tova.


The Brothers’ Promise

The Brothers’ Promise by Frances Harber
 

In this poignant retelling of a Talmudic story, siblings recall the promise each lovingly made to his father.


The Secret Shofar of Barcelona

The Secret Shofar of Barcelona by Jacqueline Dembar Greene
 

In this story set in Spain in the 1500s, the son of a conductor blows the shofar in preparation for Rosh Hashanah, a practice he must keep secret.


Gittel's Hands

Gittel's Hands by Erica Silverman
 

With her father constantly boasting about her talents, a young girl named Gittel is asked to perform impossible tasks. She must embroider a matzo cover without a needle and create an Elijah's cup from a silver coin. Just as all seems hopeless, Gittel is rewarded for her kind ways and gentle nature by none other than the prophet Elijah.


The Always Prayer Shawl by Sheldon Oberman
 

In this poignant story of tradition and love passed along from one generation to the next, a prayer shawl makes its way from grandfather to grandson.


What Zeesie Saw on Delancey Street

What Zeesie Saw on Delancey Street by Elsa Okon Rael
 

In the early 1900s on the Lower East Side, a seven-year-old girl learns lessons of community, generosity, and courage from the Jewish immigrant population..