Review: Chesed

Chesed

by Karyn Friedman-Everham, illustrated by Gabby Grant

PJ Publishing, 2025

Category: Board Book

Reviewer: Elizabeth Suneby

 
Simple, rhyming text and soft, pleasing illustrations adorn this charming board book about chesed, the Hebrew word for kindness. The story shares the cycle of a girl and her family tending to a fruit sapling as it grows and bears fruit that they share with the community -- people and birds alike! The metaphor of growing chesed communicates the ripple effect of grace and goodwill. What a wonderful opportunity to encourage little ones and the adults reading to them to embrace kindness.

The beauty of this book is the universal appeal of the story about one example of kindness. While the note from PJ Library references teachings in the Torah, the book is perfect for families of all faiths. It also helps non-Jewish people better understand Jewish values, which is critical at a time when antisemitism is on the rise.  

 

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Reviewer Elizabeth Suneby is an award-winning author with several Jewish-themed books, including two soon-to-be-available board books published by PJ Library--SAY SHALOM ALL DAY LONG (10.1.25) and CHALAHBALOO (1.1.26) available on Amazon. Both board books were inspired by her trip to Israel with the 3rd cohort of the PJ Library Author Israel Adventure in 2023.