The Bedtime Sh'ma

The sages of Jewish tradition understood the power of bedtime and wisely put together a Jewish "good night book" in the form of the Kriat Sh'ma al haMitah, the Bedtime Sh'ma. This beautifully illustrated adaptation of the Kriat Sh'ma is a wonderful introduction to one of the oldest and most fundamental of Jewish prayers.

My son loves this book. The illustrations are just wonderful.

However... (secular & non-jews can stop reading now)

There are several halachic problems with this book and cd. If you are an adult male, the cd is kol isha.

G-d's name is spelled out (albeit in English, which many don't/won't have in their homes). Although you could consider the representation of a hamsa as an 'actual' hand of G-d.... I'm uncomfortable with that illustration. B"h S"m k'vo malchuto l'olam va'ed is mistranslated, badly, imo. The service is set out at the end of the book, so you either pass it on to someone else or take it to a genisha.

So I'm torn. I admit that I read this book to my son prior to having really reviewed it (given as a gift). Now, of course, until I can get him away from it, I'm pretty stuck.

Stick to the Artscroll/Feldheim/HaChai publications for the little ones. KarBen seems uneven in its publications. (The Ziz stories are very well done.)

i was almost brought to tears and immediately pulled out of my daily stresses when i was reading this to my 10 mo. daughter. some of the wording and the delicate illustrations are definitely endearing. "i am not alone" was one of lines referring to sleep. just a lovely book that reminds me of the beauty of my religion and making the routine sacred. i did also purchase the audio CD and was fearful it would be too free & easy but it is also a thoroughly respectful work with great soul.

This is a great bed time story for your night time reading. Great for teaching your children some of the prayers we say in the evening. I use it for religious school and my class loves it. After reading the story to the class the kids love to tell what they do in the evening before going to bed. Great book

A lovely way to help a child go to sleep and to help a Jewish child learn a most important prayer.

The beautiful artwork and simple language of this unique book for very young Jewish children provides families with a satisfying bedtime ritual with which to end the day. Sarah Gershman has adapted the collection of psalms, poems and prayers of the Kriat Sh'ma al HaMitah, into child-friendly verses that focus on themes of protection and preparing for sleep. Short prayers of a few sentences are written in large print with lots of appealing white space and accompanied by a peaceful bedtime scene. For example, these few words are spread over three pages:

"My child, may you lay down gently to sleep. And may God's peace spread over you. May God who watched over those who were here long ago, watch over you. May God bless you and keep you safe. May God give you light when it is dark. May God help you grow and be happy."

The accompanying serene and lovely artwork by Kristina Swarner, in hues of deep purples and blues, along with the flowing typeface design, make this a truly beautiful adaptation of the nighttime Sh'ma, invoking traditional nighttime blessings of peace and protection and helping to create a lovely new family ritual at bedtime. The author has included the adult version of the Kriat Sh'ma al HaMitah in both English and Hebrew at the end of the book. This engaging book won the 2008 Sydney Taylor Book Award for Younger Readers from the Association of Jewish Libraries. Ages 4 - 8. Reviewed by Lisa Silverman