So I Had to Write it Myself

Stories for Jewish children were few and far between 20 years ago. Some “Jeremy and Judy” stories had Jewish content, but lacked plot. Even fewer spoke to a child’s feelings and experiences. We needed new stories.

I decided to try my hand at writing an erev Yom Kippur story that reflected the feeling of my own family getting ready for the fast. No matter how early we would begin our pre-fast meal, there was always the rush to finish and arrive in shul at the prescribed time. What did the youngest member of the family think of everything? Did he really understand the concept of wearing sneakers to shul? Sneakers to Shul was published 18 years ago.

Floreva G. Cohen, an early childhood educator, is the author of Hanukkiah for Dina, Before Shabbat Begins, and My Special Friend, and the coauthor of First Steps in Learning Torah With Young Children.