Out and About: A Tale of Giving

By Liza Wiemer, illustrated by Margeaux Lucas. Kalaniot Books, 2023. 32 pages. $19.99/hardcover. Recommended for ages 4–9.

Young Daniel wakes up in the middle of the night, looks out his window, and sees his father walking in the snow with a box. The next night, he sees both of his parents carrying boxes. Daniel’s imagination carries him away, and he envisions gifts for him filling the boxes. He asks his parents where they went, and they smilingly reply, “out and about.” He inquires of his older siblings who give the same answer. Frustration increases Daniel’s determination to solve the mystery. When he comes home from school, he overhears his mother’s conversation with her friend who is sharing concerns about financial problems. Daniel recalls his family receiving help when his grandmother was hospitalized, including an anonymously delivered box of food left on their porch. He decides to share a box of toys with the friend’s family, just in time for their Shabbat observance.

Featuring a loving, Jewish family, this warmly illustrated book introduces young readers to the tradition of tzedakah, or sharing resources with those in need. It offers background on the twelfth-century rabbi Maimonides’s eight levels of tzedakah. Maimonides particularly prized giving that enables recipients to support themselves, as well as generosity in which both parties—givers and receivers—are anonymous. Unwilling donations are the least valuable form of sharing but still better than not giving at all.

Out and About: A Tale of Giving is perfect for First-day school programs seeking to offer interfaith perspectives and counter antisemitic stereotypes. Parents looking for engaging children’s literature that encourages moral development will find it valuable as well.

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Sharlee DiMenichi is a member of Lehigh Valley Meeting in Bethlehem, Pa., and a staff writer for Friends Journal.