What PJ Library actually is
PJ Library is not a single teacher but a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. Each month it mails free, high-quality Jewish children's books — and music for some families — to homes that sign up, chosen by age so that a toddler and an older sibling each receive something suited to them. The goal is simple: put Jewish stories, values, and holidays into the hands of families and give parents an easy way to share them at bedtime.
Because the books arrive already selected and gift-wrapped in the mail, PJ Library removes the guesswork of finding age-appropriate Jewish content. Titles range from picture books about Shabbos and the chagim to folktales and stories of Jewish life around the world. For many families it becomes a monthly ritual children look forward to, and a gentle on-ramp to conversations about mitzvos, kindness, and the Jewish calendar.
Stories built around the Jewish year
Much of what PJ Library sends is organized around the rhythm of the Jewish calendar — books about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in the fall, Chanukah in the winter, Pesach in the spring, and Shabbos all year round. Reading these alongside the actual holiday helps young children connect a story on the page to what is happening at their own table, so the ideas feel real rather than abstract.
The program also introduces children to Jewish values through narrative rather than lecture — hachnasas orchim, honoring parents, caring for others — carried inside stories a child wants to hear again. Parents often use the books as a springboard for family discussion, which is exactly the kind of warm, low-pressure Jewish learning that tends to stay with children as they grow.
How families use PJ Library at home
Families typically keep the monthly books on an accessible shelf so children can pull out a favorite on their own, building a small home library of Jewish stories over the years. Reading one before bed, before Shabbos, or in the lead-up to a Yom Tov turns a few quiet minutes into consistent Jewish exposure without any screen at all.
For parents who did not grow up with a strong Jewish-book background themselves, PJ Library is also a quiet education — the accompanying notes often suggest questions to ask and context for the holiday or value in the story. It meets families where they are, which is why so many households treat the arrival of each envelope as a small monthly event.
Finding kosher Torah video for your family
FilteredTube is a kosher video service built for Jewish families — every single video is approved against one written standard before it can appear, with no open feed, no comments, and no surprises. It is a calm, safe place to look for the Torah and Jewish music you love.
If your family enjoys Jewish stories and values for young children, search FilteredTube for the speakers and topics that matter most to you. With a daf yomi shelf, a weekly parsha shelf, topic shelves, audio-only listening for the car, and a kids mode with a PIN, kosher Jewish video is easy to reach — and the approved catalog keeps growing every day.
At a glance
Key takeaways
- PJ Library is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, not an individual speaker or shiur series.
- It mails free, age-appropriate Jewish children's books (and music for some families) to homes each month.
- Its books track the Jewish calendar — Shabbos, the chagim, and Jewish values told through story.
- Parents use it as a screen-free, at-home way to share Jewish stories and spark family conversation.
- Search FilteredTube for kosher, approved Torah video — the catalog grows every day.