5 Yom Kippur Children's Books that will Surprise You

1.The Hardest Word: A Yom Kippur Story. 

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Loosely based on the Hasidic legend "The Tear of Repentance", The Hardest Word is a story about forgiveness.

The Ziz, a wonderful bird who lived long ago, is so big and clumsy that he can't keep from bumping into things. When a tree he knocks over destroys the children's garden, he seeks God's help to fix things. "Bring me the hardest word," God instructs him, and the Ziz flies off to search. He brings back words like rhinocerous, rock, and Rumplestiltskin, but none is acceptable, until he makes an important discovery.


2. Sammy Spider's First Yom Kippur. 

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When Josh breaks the rules and plays ball indoors, he finds himself apologizing not only to his parents, but to Sammy Spider as well. A Yom Kippur story about saying, “I’m sorry.”


3, Yom Kippur: A Family Service. 

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A creative and affordable prayer book built around concepts of tefillah (prayer), teshuvah (repentance), and tzedakah (sharing). Services include readings to challenge older children and adults, and stories and pictures to capture the attention of younger children.



By Wallace, Rene Annette

4. Zoe Discovers the Day of Atonement. 

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What does it really mean to say that Jesus “takes away” the sins of the world?

Understanding the sin, atonement, and restoration is foundational to understanding why God even sent His Son, Jesus. Help your children learn now about atonement and they will appreciate all God has provided for them, now while they are young!

God gave Israel a once-a-year opportunity to cleanse them of their sin. Two special goats that have meaning for us today! Jesus was later provided to cleanse everyone, forever.


5. Three Jumps to Sorry. 

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Hannah was delightful―except when she wasn’t. The day before Yom Kippur, Hannah kicks a soccer ball in the living room and breaks her mother’s glass apple. Her wise mother, deciding to teach her a lesson in a fun way, writes the numbers 1, 2 and 3 on pieces of paper and puts them on the floor. She shows Hannah how to hop her way through the three steps of an apology: admitting you did something wrong, feeling bad about what you did, and then trying never to do it again. A lesson for Yom Kippur and every day.

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