The division of the PJ Library that sends Hebrew language books to the children and grandchildren of ex-patriot Israelis in the U.S.--Sifriyat Pijama B'America (SP-BA)--is now accepting new families to join the program. Children will receive monthly books in Hebrew, often tied to events on the Jewish calendar. The first year of the program was a success, and its leadership has launched a new website in English that includes many of the features in the Hebrew website. Follow this link to check out the improved site and sign up: http://www.sp-ba.org/.
Showing posts with label free books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label free books. Show all posts
9/21/11
Sifriyat Pijama B' America begins!
My daughter received her first book through Sifriyat Pijama B' America (which distributes free Hebrew language materials to American children, particularly those with Israeli parents or grandparents) this week. The first selection was Lea Goldberg's classic Hayeled Hara (The Bad Boy). My children enjoyed the story--about a boy who blames his naughty behavior on the "bad boy" inside him--and found the illustrations quite charming. The directions for parents explain the book connects to the mishnah in Pirke Avos about "Who is the strong man? The one who controls his inclination (for bad)." The message fits perfectly into this season of Elul, where we are supposed to carefully consider our actions and resolve to do better in the coming year. I'm going to see if I can get my bigger kids to read it to the little ones for their own Hebrew language practice.
I should point out that not only are the Sifriyat Pijama B' America books in Hebrew (with nekudot), but the parent directions are in Hebrew, too. There was hardly any English at all in the entire package. The result: a little fumbling around with a English-Ivrit dictionary in the Klempner household before we could introduce the book to our children.
The program is now at capacity, but will add new members in December. You can get on the waiting list here:
7/14/11
HaModia is now offering a FREE digital edition!
Many of us want to keep up with news, but only if we can do so without inviting inappropriate reading material into our homes. To those who want daily "kosher" news, directly to their computer or mobile device, there's a new option:
HaModia has just announced a free digital, daily edition of their newspaper. To sign up, send an email to digital@hamodia.com.
7/10/11
Free Hebrew books for Jewish kids!
There's a new project patterned on the PJ Library, that focuses on bringing Hebrew language materials into homes. Targeting the children and grandchildren of ex-patriot Israelis, in particular, philanthropists here in L.A. want to send kids books in Hebrew to cultivate skills in our special language. See this week's Aish.com article here for a full explanation.
If you have children 3-5 years of age and would like to receive books in Hebrew throughout the school year, register at the link that follows. https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dG5DTEhoa29GQWFsNzhOaUxQZTFJaWc6MQ#gid=0
6/30/11
Another great contest...this time for readers, not just writers!
The website Savvima is giving away a copy of the new Artscroll book, Let's Go to the Sun and the Moon. To enter, you need to visit this link and put in a topic you'd like to see a Jewish book address before July 4th, 2011. One entry will be selected to receive the book.
5/11/11
Do you want your book in a Cheerios box?
I know I'm obsessed with the books that appear free in Cheerios boxes. As far as obsessions goes, I guess it's not a dangerous one. Anyway, here are the details for the contest to get your manuscript published and distributed in the boxes. Follow this link: http://write-jobs.blogspot.com/2011/04/free-contest-cheerios-new-childrens.html
5/4/11
Back from Pesach break
I took a few weeks off due to Pesach (never got around to new songs, drat!) and now I'm back, with a HUGE stack of Manga/graphic lit to read. I'll publish reviews soon, but I have hardly started reading because I had another writing assignment, B"H. (I'm hoping the editor likes it...)
Also, just wanted to say that there are free books again in the Cheerios boxes we bought post-Pesach. We received _How to Hug a Porcupine_, and it's absolutely darling.
2/17/11
Books for the needy
About thirty years ago, a linguistic anthropologist researched children's literary experiences at home in three communities. In her famous article, "What No Bedtime Story Means," Dr. S.B. Heath wrote about her findings. She reported that children who have books in their home and use them regularly have better literacy in school. Even if a child had books in the house, they had to be used...it was insufficient to have a beautiful book if it was treasured so much to the extent that it was left on the shelf as a display piece.
Contrast this with the average Ashkenazy Jew in America: books cover the walls (content and language varies by religiosity); many books are so well used they have actually been "loved to death" and are in tatters; libraries are regularly visited; newborns are given copies of Baby Faces, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, and Blue Hat, Green Hat as gifts long before they can actually hold the books in their own tiny hands.
And people wonder why we are the people of the book?
In steps the wonderful organization, First Book. First Book has partnered with General Mills to distribute free books in Cheerios boxes at selected times of year. Plain Cheerios is a WIC friendly food, so putting them in that particular brand helps them reach their target audience, kids whose families may not be able to afford books, and who may not access public libraries. While these books are printed cheaply, they are high-quality literature. The authors have either won First Book's annual writing competition for new writers or are established writers themselves...and the illustrations are fabulous.
Here's a link to this wonderful organization. http://www.firstbook.org/
When I taught in So. L.A. nearly a decade ago, my students (mostly working class and Latino) often had no books of their own. Many didn't visit the library unless on a school visit, although there was one in the neighborhood. Many parents, cash-strapped and not functionally literate themselves, chose to spend what little money they had on DVDs and video games. Others had a few books. These had often been received as gifts, and remained on the shelf so as not to be ruined (just as in Dr. Heath's study). Alternatively, my students had books, but these were often t.v. tie-ins of questionable literary merit. And some of my students had parents who wanted to read, but were each working two jobs to make ends meet. These folks were simply too busy and too exhausted to read a bedtime story. Thus, my students often had very few literary experiences before they reached school.
Contrast this with the average Ashkenazy Jew in America: books cover the walls (content and language varies by religiosity); many books are so well used they have actually been "loved to death" and are in tatters; libraries are regularly visited; newborns are given copies of Baby Faces, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, and Blue Hat, Green Hat as gifts long before they can actually hold the books in their own tiny hands.
And people wonder why we are the people of the book?
In steps the wonderful organization, First Book. First Book has partnered with General Mills to distribute free books in Cheerios boxes at selected times of year. Plain Cheerios is a WIC friendly food, so putting them in that particular brand helps them reach their target audience, kids whose families may not be able to afford books, and who may not access public libraries. While these books are printed cheaply, they are high-quality literature. The authors have either won First Book's annual writing competition for new writers or are established writers themselves...and the illustrations are fabulous.
Here's a link to this wonderful organization. http://www.firstbook.org/
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