By
– September 16, 2013
Bright, friendly pictures are the lure in this board book that emphasizes the things chil- dren can do to make the world a better place. “Tikkun Olam Ted” recycles bottles on Sunday, makes art projects from recycled materials on Monday, rakes the leaves on Tuesday, and so on through the week until finally it is Shabbat and Ted rests from his good works. A smiling, pink-cheeked Ted and his orange cat are fea- tured in the boldly colored illustrations. While the text does make reference to “fix[ing] the world”, there is no explicit definition of “tikkun olam.” The final page says “Taking care of the world is fun, but very tiring” which may not be the most desired last impression. Still, since this is a book to share, it certainly provides an opening to talk about the concept of making the world a better place and to imagine with the young readers what other activities they can participate in to help repair the world. Recommended for ages 1 – 4.
Ellen G. Cole, a retired librarian of the Levine Library of Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles, is a past judge of the Sydney Taylor Book Awards and a past chairperson of that committee. She is a co-author of the AJL guide, Excellence in Jewish Children’s Literature. Ellen is the recipient of two major awards for contribution to Judaic Librarianship, the Fanny Goldstein Merit Award from the Association of Jewish Libraries and the Dorothy Schroeder Award from the Association of Jewish Libraries of Southern California. She is on the board of AJLSC.
