Free Subscription to PJs library

Moderator Joined: Sep 30 2009 Posts: 1365 Location: NY

Today's Jdeal is a free subscription to PJs library, a service that sends an age apropriate book for you child once a month. T learn more read here:
http://www.jdeal.com/?did=9279&rf=230470&zip=10025&ty=4

I've never heard of this organization before, but it looks like subscriptions might usually cost $100. Or is it always free and they are just valuing hte books?

Can anyone provide more info on this service?
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Each city has it's own. We have been getting them since DS was a baby. They send paper back children's books with Jewish content for each month. My son is always excited that he is getting real mail.

If you are very strict about what comes in your house, they may not suit you. I've had a few that I hid after a few weeks, but most are pretty OK. Imaginative stories, age appropriate, colorful. The target audience is unafilliated Jewish families, so you can understand if the content is not what you would find in the book store in Boro Park.

They send a DVD or music CD about 2 x a year also.

One of the biggest benefits for us was this summer, when the E-mail they sent out mentioned camp scholarships for sibilings of PJ members. These scholarships for first-time campers at a Jewish camp do not usually go to kids in day school. Because we were PJ Library members, my middle child got $1000. towards her first time at sleep away camp. Something I would have waited an other year to send her to (to keep expenses & expectations low), but she was ready & had a great time.

The e-mail list also lists other local events, which could be good if you have little kids & are wondering what to do, or if you are looking for places to meet families that are open to learning more about yiddishkeit (kiruv).

Platinum Member Joined: Feb 20 2009 Posts: 7642

I signed up when ds was a baby, someone on this site had mentioned it. I believe its always free. My son loves the books, and I love that they're Jewish themed. The only one I did not approve of was the latest one we got. Of course, its ds's favorite, so for now I just make up my own words but eventually I will throw it out. To clarify, I have no problem with books from a secular perspective. However, this particular book was on a Jewish theme, but the underlying message was something I'm not at all comfortable with. Other than that, it has been great.

Don't sign up if you will be upset about pictures that depict a non religious lifestyle.

Moderator Joined: Sep 30 2009 Posts: 1365 Location: NY

I signed up. It sounds interesting, I am OK with pictures of secular lifestyle and I can screen the books to make sure nothing with a message I don't approve of gets through.

Platinum Member Joined: Nov 17 2008 Posts: 5050

Here it is part of the Jewish Federation. I signed up for my grandkids. We have found may of the books to be objectionable. Not just in terms of picturing secular things, but in terms of their "twists" on Yom Tovim, stories from Tanach, etc.
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Moderator Joined: Sep 30 2009 Posts: 1365 Location: NY

I think the books may differ by area/sponsoring organization. There are a lot of shuls sponsoring in my area, and I think several of them go well with my hashkafah. But it is good to know I should still screen.

Moderator Joined: Mar 29 2005 Posts: 18297

I'm not so sure that is so -- I think a lot of it is what is donated to it.
It does vary by age though.
http://pjlibrary.org/Books-and-Music.aspx -- nationwide it appears to be the same.

The amount of books I've gotten in the past few years for my kids are a lot. The amount of books that I'm happy we own, not so many.
Some we've thrown out/given away. Some we've kept but I think they're ridiculous. Some have nothing to do with Yiddishkeit. Most are Jewish culture, and that's it. A few were good quality.
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Platinum Member Joined: Feb 20 2009 Posts: 7642

Moderator Joined: Mar 29 2005 Posts: 18297

Oh man, that's a terrible one.

(I think I've gotten something like 50 unique books -- not including all the doubles I've gotten. I have a pretty good handle on the material they give out.)

I also think the quality of the books themselves are usually lacking...sometimes the illustrations (Hanna's Sabbath Dress?), sometimes the wording...I'm not sure my kids gain anything other than having something new for bedtime.

Platinum Member Joined: Feb 20 2009 Posts: 7642

I should have screened it before I told him it came. I made up my own little story for now, but as soon as it loses favorite book status its going out.

Moderator Joined: Mar 29 2005 Posts: 18297

I never show my kids the books till I've looked through them...

Gold Member Joined: Aug 23 2011 Posts: 1576

The subscriptions were always free.
We've been getting these books for a few months already and I haven't yet seen one I would be willing to keep around the house. They're all about religious subjects written from a nonobservant viewpoint. The books usually lie around the house for a while until they get thrown out.

Gold Member Joined: Jul 31 2009 Posts: 1237

My nephew receives these books and it works out great since his parents are the target market for this program. Culturally Jewish, but not frum. His father (one of my brothers) is a staunch atheist and since signing the little one up for PJ he gets excited about each holiday as it comes along in the year.

Wouldn't it be better to simply remove yourself from the mailing list instead of throwing out perfectly good books that another family would appreciate?

In my area they sent an email around a year ago explaining that resources were limited and to please make sure each child is eligible and so on.

Moderator Joined: Aug 14 2005 Posts: 4549 Location: Ohio

So wierd. They must select different ones for different cities. We've gotten a few that we got rid of, but we've gotten these:

Bagels for Benny
Something from Nothing
The Bedtime Sh'ma: A Goodnight Book
The Hardest Word (about a bird that learns to say sorry)
The Littlest Pair (about two termites on the teva who save the day)
New Year at the Pier (about a little boy tossing tashlich and apologizing to the people he hurt during the year)
Avraham's Search for God (about how Avraham figured out the existence of HaShem)
Plus lots more. We've gotten a lot of good books. The ones that aren't okay (I read them before the kids do), I donate to the local library.
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we have only gotten rid of 1 so far- and we have been signed up (for DS) 3 or 4 years, for DD since she was born

Eltam- re your list. we got many of those

Bagels for Benny y
Something from Nothing y
The Bedtime Sh'ma: A Goodnight Book
The Hardest Word (about a bird that learns to say sorry) y
The Littlest Pair (about two termites on the teva who save the day) y
New Year at the Pier (about a little boy tossing tashlich and apologizing to the people he hurt during the year) y
Avraham's Search for God (about how Avraham figured out the existence of HaShem)
Plus lots more. We've gotten a lot of good books. The ones that aren't okay (I read them before the kids do), I donate to the local library.

I've been getting these books for a few years now. Some of them are really adorable (totally love the Gefilte Fish book, for ex.!) and others I have to throw in the trash with the envelopes they came in (Before You were Born). My kids do enjoy them for the most part, though, and I appreciate this program.

Gold Member Joined: Aug 23 2011 Posts: 1576

I originally signed up because I loved one of the books a friends of mine recieved one month. So far I haven't recieved any books I was crazy about.
Some of the books were okay, just not on the right age level. I'm still hoping we'll get a book worth keeping.

Silver Member Joined: Nov 21 2010 Posts: 707

Do they get mailed to your house or do You have to pick it up somewhere? I just subscribed but they didn't ask for an address, only a zipcode.