Favorite Picture Books for the Old Testament

Old Testament Stories are a classic Waldorf Third Grade topic. It can be two blocks or three. I'm working on doing these stories right now with a tutoring client, and so I'm beefing up my collection of picture books. In previous years I checked these out from the library, but because of COVID I prefer to buy books right now. That way I will know for sure I have them when I need them and they won't be in quarantine or in some other way unavailable.

I have LOTS of notes for this block on my website since it was the very first Waldorf block I taught. Back in 2006, when the girls were still quite small (ages 1, 2, and 4) and I was first researching the curriculum used in Waldorf education, I was so eager to teach a real Waldorf main lesson block that I offered to teach Sunday School at my church! I knew that I had a ton of resources and teaching ideas inside my Waldorf books. And we did the Old Testament stories and the Waldorf Third Grade class plays for years and years. It was really fun. And I always thought quite funny that the church never noticed that we never got to the New Testament!

Because we now belong to PJ Library, Zac gets a free Jewish children's book each month. That has been really interesting for us, since I didn't know a lot about Judaism when we started. I've added some of those titles in as well.

If you have favorite picture books for this topic, please share your ideas!

The Dreamer
by Cynthia Rylant (the Creation)

Light: The First Seven Days
by Sarah Waldman

Clarence's Topsy-Turvy Shabbat
by Jennifer Tzivia MacLeod (the 7th day of Creation)

Yitzi the Trusty Tractor
by Naomi Shulman (the 7th day of Creation)

Cain and Abel : Finding the Fruits of Peace
by Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso

Noah's Ark
by Jerry Pinkney

Noah's Wife: The Story of Naamah
by Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso

The Ark
by Arthur Geisert

After the Flood
by Arthur Geisert

The Tower of Babel
by William Wiesner

The Story of Job
by Regina Doman

The Shofar Must Go On....
by Lina Schwartz
Very happy to find a story for Rosh Hashanah that will help my students connect this holiday with the birth (day 1) and the binding of Isaac (day 2).

Joseph
by Brian Wildsmith

Moses
by Margaret Hodges

Before She Was Harriet
by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom
by Carol Boston Weatherford

Exodus
by Brian Wildsmith

Miriam's Cup: A Passover Story
by Fran Manushkin

The Four Questions
by Lynne Sharon Schwartz

Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail
by Lesléa Newman

The Passover Lamb
by Linda Elovitz Marshall

A Sweet Meeting on Mimouna Night
by Allison Ofanansky (the day after Passover)

Night Lights: A Sukkot Story
by Barbara Diamond Goldin (wandering in the desert for 40 years)

Molly's Pilgrim
by Barbara Cohen

The Shadow of a Flying Bird
by Mordicai Gerstein (the death of Moses)

Psalm Twenty-Three
illustrated by Tim Ladwig

Psalm 23
illustrated by Barry Moser

David and Goliath
by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers

King Solomon and the Bee
by Dalia Hardof Renberg

Solomon and the Trees
by Matt Biers-Ariel

Yaffa and Fatima: Shalom, Salaam
adapted by Fawzia Gilani-Williams

Wish
by Roseanne Thong (the Western Wall)

The Story of Daniel in the Lion's Den
by Michael McCarthy

Queen Esther the Morning Star
by Mordicai Gerstein

Cakes and Miracles: A Purim Tale
by Barbara Diamond Goldin

A Persian Princess
by Barbara Diamond Goldin

Esther's Story
by Diane Wolkstein

The Book of Jonah
by Peter Spier

Jonah
by Tammar Stein

The Story of Hanukkah
by David Adler

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins
by Eric Kimmel

The Eight Knights of Hanukkah
by Leslie Kimmelman

Oskar and the Eight Blessings
by Tanya Simon

Other interesting books that I'm adding to my collection this year are Hanukkah at Valley Forge by Stephen Krensky and Daughters of Fire: Heroines of the Bible by Fran Manushkin.

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