PJ Library is a program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, a North American Jewish non-profit organization based in West Springfield, Massachusetts. It was created in December 2005 as a Jewish engagement and literacy program for Jewish and interfaith families with young children.
Contents
PJ Library is modeled after Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program. PJ Library sends out free Jewish children's books and music to Jewish and interfaith families on a monthly basis by subscription. It is a North America program that is implemented on a local level. The program is largely underwritten by HGF, but depends on local supporting partners.
Distribution and book selection
The PJ Library program is available in communities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Tens of thousands of Jewish children have a PJ Library book or CD mailed to them each month. The PJ Library books and music are available for children between 6 months and 8 years of age, depending on the available funding in each community.
Children that have been enrolled in PJ Library receive age-appropriate books highlighting Jewish holidays, values, Bible stories, and folklore. Books are selected by the PJ Library Book Selection Committee. Working with authors, publishers and editors, the committee strives to ensure that the finest Jewish books for children find their way each month into the mailboxes of all PJ Library families. Many of the PJ Library books have won prestigious awards, including the Caldecott Medal and the Sydney Taylor Book Award. Several have been named as finalists for the National Jewish Book Award from the Jewish Book Council.
Enrollment
Any Jewish or interfaith family in the U.S. or Canada can enroll in the free Jewish book program, provided there is a local PJ Library community in their area. Once enrolled, the family is automatically renewed for the second year and have the option to renew for a third year. Additionally, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation's Israel-based Keren Grinspoon Israel foundation has introduced a program in Israel called "Sifriyat Pijama" ("Pajama Library" in Hebrew)
National recognition
PJ Library was selected as one of the Slingshot 08/09 Resource Guide's "50 most inspiring and innovative organizations, projects, and programs in the North American Jewish community today". On April 2009, Harold Grinspoon, president and founder of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, received the Sidney Shapiro Tzedakah Award for his work in Jewish philanthropy, including the founding of The PJ Library. On January 2010, the Jewish Education Service of North America listed The PJ Library as one of JESNA's "Picks for the Best in Jewish Education of the Decade".
Notable books
The PJ Library has also been the driving force behind several classic and favorite books being updated and reprinted for future generations to enjoy. Funders have included the Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation.