Read Write Inc. Phonics Book Bag Books are engaging texts to support children with additional reading practice outside the classroom. They have been specifically designed for children to take home after school, in order to share their reading journey and celebrate their achievements with parents and carers. The books are closely matched to the existing Read Write Inc. Phonics Storybooks to reinforce children's classroom learning of phonics at the appropriate level, helping them to make even faster progress in reading.

This modern update of a Jewish folktale includes a working single mom and two kids who want to let her rest while they get ready for Shabbat. But first they have to dispatch a pesky goblin on their own, which takes ingenuity, cooperation, and courage. End note explains Jewish origin of goblins. Sometimes, a peaceful Shabbat means braiding challah and dinner with your family. Sometimes it means trying to catch a goblin before sundown. And sometimes, it means both! --Madelyn, from Goodreads

Alexander can't decide on a Halloween costume, so he winds up as a pumpkin; he can't decide what to wear to school, so he misses the bus; he can't decide what school lunch to eat, so he winds up with tuna casserole. Alexander's breakthrough comes on his birthday, when he asks for a sundae with everything but then realizes that chocolate swirl is all he wants. After that, Alexander finds his own decision-making style: not as deliberate as his mother or as quick to decide as his father, but somewhere in between. And when he tells his mom he wants a baby brother, he learns that sometimes "you get what you get, and that can be OK too."

Evolving from the oral tradition that gave us Torah and Talmud, folktales illuminate and reinforce the lessons of our heritage. We tell them to entertain our children, and also to pass on our values.

It's Too Crowded in Here is a collection of Jewish folktales and midrashic stories in this spirit, enlivened by colorful illustrations. Fun just to read aloud with children, the stories also provide a rich yet light-hearted resource for exploring key values such as self respect, compassion, appreciation, tolerance, and thankfulness.

Resource pages after each story provide some brief background linking the story with its underlying message and connecting it to sources in Jewish tradition. Appropriate for any background or level of Jewish knowledge, these supplemental notes, together with a few open-ended questions and activity suggestions based on each story, can help those who would like to lead children through a deeper exploration of each story.

Are they wiggling behind the witches? Creeping beneath the cats? Jumping inside the jack-o -lantern? All sorts of sneaky objects are hiding in these picture puzzles, and they don t want to be found. Look close and seek them out "

Read Write Inc. Phonics Book Bag Books are engaging texts to support children with additional reading practice outside the classroom. They have been specifically designed for children to take home after school, in order to share their reading journey and celebrate their achievements with parents and carers. The books are closely matched to the existing Read Write Inc. Phonics Storybooks to reinforce children's classroom learning of phonics at the appropriate level, helping them to make even faster progress in reading.