Whether or not you celebrate Passover, this Story of the Month is fun for kids of all ages — a mix of science, Jewish history and humor. And if you are looking for a good introduction to Passover for kids, The Family Haggadah by Ellen Schecter is a handy step-by-step guide to the rituals of the traditional Seder along with a dictionary of terms.

THE MEGA MATZAH (PDF)

By Mark Binder

Every year the village of Chelm celebrated a communal Pesach feast under the stars. A pot luck affair, each family contributed some portion of the meal.

Rabbi Kibbitz, the head rabbi, supplied the blessings. Mrs. Chaipul would bring her famous lead-ball knaidlach soup. Reb Cantor made gallons of kosher l’Pesach wine.

And Reb Stein, the baker, baked the matzah with the aid of his friend, Rabbi Yohon Abrahms, the schoolmaster.

This particular year, Reb Stein, took the notion to create the world’s largest matzah.

In the past, Czar Fyodor, The Not So Great, had commissioned an unleavened bread the size of a table top. London had once witnessed a hamotzi over a matzah as big as a horse cart. And, of course, in Jerusalem, the holy city, for centuries bakers had been developing a secret recipe that they claimed would permit them to rebuild the Temple completely out of matzah within a week, if the Messiah should ever come and call for it.

“Chelm is a small town,” Rabbi Abrahms warned. “What do we need with something so big?”

“Phooey,” said Reb Stein. “I will be written into the Gibberish Book of World Records.”

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Story of the Month from The Bedtime Story Book by Mark Binder
Story by Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Bedtime stories aren’t just for little kids. Mark Twain’s story of how Tom Sawyer Painted his fence is a classic. I’ve tried to change it as little as possible, mostly just editing it down. When your child finally gets old enough to read the original, he or she will already be familiar with the characters.

READER TIP: Have fun with Tom and Bill’s language and accent.

Download PDF of Story

SATURDAY morning was come, and all the summer world was bright and fresh, and brimming with life.

Tom Sawyer appeared on the sidewalk with a bucket of whitewash and a long-handled brush. He surveyed the fence, and all gladness left him. Thirty yards of board fence nine feet high to paint.

Sighing, he dipped his brush and passed it along the top plank. He did it again and compared the insignificant whitewashed streak with the continent of unwhitewashed fence, and sat down on a tree-box discouraged…

At this dark and hopeless moment an inspiration burst upon him! Nothing less than a great, magnificent inspiration.

He took up his brush and went tranquilly to work.

Ben Rogers hove in sight presently – the very boy whose ridicule he had been dreading. Ben’s gait was a hop-skip-and-jump. He was eating an apple, and giving a long, melodious whoop, followed by a deep-toned ding-dong-dong, ding-dong-dong, for he was impersonating a steamboat.

“Stop her, sir! Ting-a-ling-ling!” He drew up slowly toward the sidewalk.

Tom went on whitewashing – paying no attention to the steamboat.

Ben stared a moment and then said: “Hi-yi ! You’re up a stump, ain’t you!”

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