Purim is a joyous celebration and fun holiday. It's a celebration with origins in the Book of Esther. The story tells how brave Esther saved her people from the machinations of Haman, an arrogant and egotistical advisor to the king of Persia.
There is good information at the following sites:
Judaism 101 (http://www.jewfaq.org/holiday9.htm)
Purim (http://www.aish.com/h/pur/f/48970006.html)
Here is our list of Easy Readers and Chapter Books with Purim as the focus.
Purim (Rookie Read-About Holidays)
by Carmen Bredeson
This book is an introduction to the Jewish holiday of Purim, which commemorates Queen Esther of Persia and how she saved the Jews.
Reading Information:Word Count: 301
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reading Level: 1.9 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 7471
- Publisher: Children's Press (2003)
- ISBN-10: 0516279289
sample pages
Cakes and Miracles: A Purim Tale
by Barbara Diamond Goldin
GoodReads ave rating 3.70 — 10 votes Amazon rating: very good - 3 votes
Young, blind Hershel finds that he has special gifts he can use to help his mother during the Jewish holiday of Purim. Includes author's notes about the holiday and its origins.
Reading Information:Word Count: 937
Page Count: 30
Accelerated Reading Level: 3.0 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 141008
- Publisher: Marshall Cavendish Children's Books (2010)
- ISBN-10: 0761457011
sample pages
The Mystery Bear: A Purim Story
by Leone Adelson
GoodReads ave rating 2.75 — 4 votes
When he awakens from hibernation, Little Bear's hunger leads him to a house where a Purim celebration is just beginning.
Reading Information:Word Count: 1,490
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reading Level: 3.3 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 87525
- Publisher: Clarion Books (2004)
- ISBN-10: 0618337253
sample pages
Raisel's Riddle
by Erica Silverman
GoodReads ave rating 4.33 — 3 votes Amazon rating: excellent - 4 votes
A Jewish version of the Cinderella story, in which a poor but educated young woman captivates her "Prince Charming," a rabbi's son, at a Purim ball.
Reading Information:
Word Count: 1,642
Page Count: 40
Accelerated Reading Level: 3.3 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 47308
Lexile: AD270L
- Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2003)
- ISBN-10: 0374461996
sample pages
On Purim
by Cathy Goldberg Fishman
This book uses the story of a family's preparations for the Jewish holiday of Purim to explain the traditions connected with the celebration.
Reading Information:Word Count: 1,208
Page Count: 40
Accelerated Reading Level: 3.5 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 42120
Lexile: 500L
- Publisher: Atheneum (2000)
- ISBN-10: 0689823924
amazon
Purim (Celebrations in My World)
by Peppas, Lynn
Discusses Purim, one of the happiest Jewish holidays on the calendar, this springtime holiday is celebrated with costume parties, parades, and special foods.
Reading Information:Word Count: 1,877
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reading Level: 3.6 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 135995
- Publisher: Crabtree Publishing Company (2010)
- ISBN-10: 0778747824
amazon
Jewish Holidays In The Spring
(Best Holiday Books)
by Dianne M. MacMillan
Discusses the origins of Purim, Passover, Yom Ha-Atsma'ut, Lag B'Omer, and Shavuot, and explains how each of these holidays is celebrated.
Reading Information:
Page Count: 48
Accelerated Reading Level: 4.0 / points: 1.0
AR quiz: 10475
- Publisher: Enslow Publishers (1994)
- ISBN-10: 0894905031
sample pages
Queen Esther the Morning Star: The Story of Purim
by Mordicai Gerstein
GoodReads ave rating 3.89 — 19 votes Amazon rating - Excellent - 4 votes
This book retells the story of how a beautiful Jewish girl became the Queen of Persia and saved her people from death at the hands of the evil Haman.
Reading Information:
Page Count: 32
Reading Level - unknown
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (2000)
- ISBN-10: 0689813724
sample pages
Telling Time
by Irene Watts
The story of Queen Esther and her miracle is presented to readers through a rabbi's telling of the story during the Nazi invasion of Vienna in 1939, in a colorfully illustrated book from the author of Good-Bye Marianne, Remember Me.
Reading Information:
Word Count: 1,554
Page Count: 32
Accelerated Reading Level: 4.4 / points: 0.5
AR quiz: 109207
- Publisher: Tradewind Books (2004)
- ISBN-10: 1896580394
amazon
The Uninvited Guest and Other Jewish Holiday Tales
by Nina Jaffe
Includes background information and retellings of traditional tales from Jewish folklore and legend related to major holidays, such as Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Hanukkah, and Purim.
Reading Information:Word Count: 12789
Page Count: 72
Accelerated Reading Level: 6.0 / points: 2.0
AR quiz: 18699
- Publisher: Scholastic (1995)
- ISBN-10: 0590446533
amazon
Problems in Purimville
by Karen Fisman
Join Jacob and Sarah on another remarkable adventure this time, just days before Purim. After receiving a mysterious cry for help, the children find themselves in the muddled and mixed up land of Purimville where someone (or something) is making serious trouble.
In a delightful tale full of tasty hamantashen, marvelous costumes, and very noisy graggers, Jacob and Sarah must draw on their wits and courage to try to solve the Problems in Purimville.
Our review
Reading Information:
Page Count: 64
Reading Level - unknown
- Publisher: Jora Books (October 1, 2010)
- ISBN-10: 0981265014
- amazon
