Sammy Spider's First Tu B'Shevat

Love these books ! Perfect for toddlers and beyond

wonderful children's book about Jewish Holidays. I have purchased the entire set for him and he is loving them. Started them before he was 3 and he still enjoys them.

This book in the Sammy Spider Jewish holiday series for small children (ages 4-6) is really more about the changes of the seasons than the festival of Tu B'Shevat itself, although the festival is mentioned. But since there really aren't too many other rituals associated with this holiday, the focus on tree-planting is appropriate. Sammy Spider watches his human neighbors, the Shapiros, celebrate with fruit and nuts (eating (a tradition for this holiday) and by planting a sapling (also traditional). The colorful paper-cut illustrations the follow the Tree through the seasons, showing the leaves change color, etc., as the Shapiros care for their yard. As a secular presentation of nature with a Jewsih twist, it's a nice book.

I don't know how the un-Jewish concept of a spider family became the mechanism for a series of books about Jewish holidays but my kids and their friends love them. This time Sammy learns about the holiday of Tu B'Shevat, the New Year of the trees.In these books Sammy observes the human family and asks his mother what they are doing. The mother always seems to have the answer even if it doesn't concern spiders (they just spin webs). This time we watch the progression of the seasons and see some of the signs of those seasons. Each season also has a two-page picture showing the house and yard as it appears during each season. These act as a very good way of teaching children how to recognize the differences.Because this is a book of seasons the story spans slightly more than a full year (encompassing two Tu B'Shevat celebrations). I didn't feel that the book did a good enough job explaining the holiday or its importance to Judaism but it seems to work for my kids (six and under).

Kids love the Sammy Spider Series. Beautiful and vivid colors.

My little grandchildren love reading and learning about this 'New Year of the Trees' and its significance for our ancestors