Duplicate books? Curious how we choose the titles? Your questions answered by the Chair of the PJ Library UK Book Selection Committee

PJ Library is treasured for its unique role in sparking Jewish conversations in the home and for bringing a Jewish element into precious book-at-bedtime bonding time, but it’s even more than that. PJ Library makes Jewish kids in the UK part of something bigger: a three-year-old living in the Scottish Highlands receives the same books as one in north-west London, building Jewish connections nationwide. Indeed, PJ Library books are now enjoyed by families raising Jewish children in over 30 countries.

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Why We Chose This Book: The Secret Shofar of Barcelona

This book ticks so many boxes: the story is gripping, its focus is a Jewish holiday and it’s about an aspect of Jewish history that we don’t often see in picture books. Young Rafael’s father, Barcelona composer Don Fernando, is commissioned to write music to celebrate the Spanish colonies in the New World. But the Inquisition’s spies are everywhere, Rafael’s family are Conversos who remain secretly Jewish, and the concert takes place during Rosh Hashanah. Rafael and his father hatch an ingenious but dangerous plan to celebrate the Jewish New Year right under the noses of the Spanish nobility.

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