Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd ; Hard Cover, Poetry ; Recommended

Awe-some Day: Poems about the Jewish Holidays by Marilyn Singer

This collection of poetry follows that Jewish year, highlighting important holidays. Starting with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, each holiday has a poem from the point of view of a young girl. The poems incorporate the experiences, rituals, and feelings of a child celebrating each holiday. The facing page then explains the origin and significance of the holiday as well the different ways it is celebrated.

The majority of the holidays are based in the religious celebrations of the Jewish faith. The secular holidays included are Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) and Yom Ha Shoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day).

Awe-some Days will resonate with the experiences of Jewish children, but can also act as a introduction for non-Jewish readers. The format makes it easy to see connections across beliefs.