By
– November 7, 2011
Noah loves camp. He loves kickball, he loves singing Shabbat songs, he loves arts and crafts, but he does not like the pool. The water makes his arms get goose bumpy, his eyes feel stingy and his nose feels stuffy. The lifeguard tries to get Noah in the water by offering stickers but to no avail. Then, Mrs. Rubin, the camp director, tells the campers that they can get prizes for entering the Swim-a-Thon but Noah says he doesn’t care about prizes; he still doesn’t want to swim. Mrs. Rubin says that there are many children who can’t afford to come to camp and, by swimming in the Swim-a-Thon, he can help send some of these kids to camp with the camp’s tzedakah fund. Noah gets pledges from friends and relatives to give money for every lap Noah swims which will go toward the tzedakah fund. Noah practices swimming in the pool and swims a lap in the Swim-a-Thon, earning $25 for the tzedakah fund. Swim-a-Thon is a registered trade name owned by USA Swimming and was used by permission. Make-a-Splash is a national child-focused initiative created by the USA Swimming Foundation, with the goal of teaching every child in America to swim. Ann Koffsky’s full-page acrylic illustrations cheerfully teach tzedakah and perseverance. Recommended for ages 6 – 8.
Reading Guide
Barbara Silverman had an M.L.S. from Texas Woman’s University. She worked as a children’s librarian at the Corpus Christi Public Libraries and at the Corpus Christi ISD before retiring. She worked as a volunteer at the Astor Judaic Library of the Lawrence Family JCC in La Jolla, CA. Sadly, Barbara passed away is 2012.
