Meet the author: Bracha Goetz

Bracha Goetz is the author of thirty Jewsih picture books — from board books for the very young to early reader for kids to read on their own. A number of her books touch on complex subjects, making it easier for parents to discuss difficult topics with young children. In this post, she tells us about her writing journey.

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I feel that one of my missions in life is to write about deep and sometimes difficult subjects in as simple and upbeat a way as possible, so that children can grasp the concepts.

My background is that I graduated from Harvard University and then went on to medical school, with plans to become a psychiatrist. During the summer between my first and second year of medical school, I went to Israel during my six week break to volunteer in Hadassah Hospital. While there, I began learning about Judaism at the women’s division of Ohr Someyach, in a depth I had not known.

A thread throughout my life is that I was always seeking out truth. So when I began to learn about the wisdom in the Torah, I began to try to follow the Torah’s guidelines, and soon after that, I started writing the kind of books that I would have wanted to read when I was a very young child. I sought to write books that could help our littlest ones to see the world with a joyful Jewish vision, integrating life’s truths as early as possible.

Children can readily absorb that at their core there is an infinite potential for joy and goodness. Picture books can help to foster a loving self-awareness that remains for life. For instance, Invisible Book is about many invisible things in which we believe, making our souls that much more comprehensible. Aliza in MitzvahLand shows how there is never a reason to be bored since there are always mitzvahs just waiting to be found. Another example is Hashem’s Candy Store. It educates our children about the joy of eating Hashem’s amazing goodies.

Soon, G-d willing, there will be a new book released that will hopefully help children in our community to have a better understanding and appreciation of the abilities of people who have disabilities. It’s called Let’s Appreciate Everyone!. Actually, we all have disabilities – whether they are visible or not – and we all also have important contributions to make in our world too.

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Here are some of Bracha Goetz’ books on complex subjects:


Let’s Stay Safe!


I Lost Someone Special


Talking About Private Places

For more of Bracha Goetz’ books click here.

My apologies and working links

It seems that the images in the previous post didn’t get delivered by email. I’m sorry! Here is the same post, but with text instead of images.

The first day of Shavuos is also the yahrzeit of both David Hamelech and the Baal Shem Tov. Here are some book recommendations about them:

Dovid: The Little Shepherd

This book about David Hamelech is a classic and a preschool favorite, perfect for the younger ones.

The Money in the Honey: A Midrash About Young David, Future King of Israel

This is a nice story involving David Hamelech, with great illustrations. It’s an older kids picture book.

Dovid Ben Yishai: A Spellbinding, Illustrated Story of the Life of the Jewish Biblical Hero King David Based on Tanach, Gemara, and Midrashim

Dovid Melech Yisrael

These two volumes are graphic novels detailing the life of David Hamelech based on midrashim. Good for anyone who likes graphic novels, of any age.

In the Footsteps of the Prophets, A Treasury of Midrashic Chronicles, Volume Two, King David

This one is for older kids, and for adults.

Wonders of the Baal Shem Tov and his Students: Amazing Stories from the Lives of Chassidic Gedolim

Graphic novel-style stories about the Baal Shem Tov.

A Never-Ending Tale: Illustrated Parables of the Ba’al Shem Tov and His Disciples

A masterpiece, in Gadi Pollack’s inimitable style. For all ages.

There is still some time left to get these books before Shavuos, either with Amazon Prime or at your local bookstore or library. Enjoy!

Have a wonderful Shabbos and Yom Tov!
Yehudis
torahthroughliterature.com

Books about David Hamelech and the Baal Shem Tov

The first day of Shavuos is also the yahrzeit of both David Hamelech and the Baal Shem Tov. Here are some book recommendations about them:

This book about David Hamelech is a classic and a preschool favorite, perfect for the younger ones.

This is a nice story involving David Hamelech, with great illustrations. It’s an older kids picture book.

These two volumes are graphic novels detailing the life of David Hamelech based on midrashim. Good for anyone who likes graphic novels, of any age.

This one is for older kids, and for adults.

Graphic novel-style stories about the Baal Shem Tov.

A masterpiece, in Gadi Pollack’s inimitable style. For all ages.

There is still some time left to get these books before Shavuos, either with Amazon Prime or at your local bookstore or library. Enjoy!

Have a wonderful Shabbos and Yom Tov!
Yehudis
torahthroughliterature.com

Shavuos Book List

Here are some wonderful books that can help our children/students learn about Shavuos and Megillas Rus. I will attempt to classify them by age, though each child is different, so please adjust accordingly. Also, if the parent or teacher is reading the book aloud younger children can also appreciate books written for older children.

Ages 2 – 8:

Shavuos: With Bina, Benny, and Chaggai Hayonah (The Artscroll Youth Holiday Ser.))

Very Best Gift

Tell Me The Story Of The Year: Shavuos- The Story of Megillas Rus(Ruth)

A Dozen Daisies for Raizy

A Mountain of Blintzes

Ages 8 – 12:

The Artscroll Children’s Book of Ruth

A Children’s Treasury of Holiday Tales (ArtScroll Youth Series)

Ages 12 and up:

Let My Nation Serve Me

Torah Anthology Meam Loez Exodus 6 Volume 9

Complete Story of Shavuot (The Festival Series)

Let Me Join Your Nation: The Story of Ruth, from Moabite Princess to Matriarch of the Davidic Dynasty

Torah Anthology – Book of Ruth (Me’am Lo’ez Series)

The Navi Journey, Megillas Rus

Hope you find this list helpful!
If you haven’t had a chance to fill out the survey yet please fill it out and let us know how we can best help you in your educational/homeschooling/parenting journey. For your convenience, here is the link again: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/C85BZJL

Thank you!
Yehudis Litvak
torahthroughliterature.com