Why we tell kids true stories of tzaddikim.

Ask any parent what they actually want from a Jewish children's book and you'll hear the same thing: something the kids pick up on their own. Not assigned. Not bribed. Chosen — over the tablet, over the noise, over everything else fighting for their attention. That's the entire idea behind Tzaddik Story.

TzaddikStory.org is a non-profit endeavor dedicated to getting back to basics: creating beautiful content about tzaddikim and their miracles that is suitable for kids and the whole family. The stories are true. The heroes are real. And the telling — that's where the work is.

Why miracle stories?

Because stories of tzaddikim are how Jewish children have absorbed emunah, hashgacha pratis, and hiskashrus for generations — not as lessons, but as adventures. A lion in the road. A blessing that shouldn't have worked, and did. A rebbe who saw what no one else could see. Kids don't need to be told these stories matter. They need to be able to read them.

"If we don't give them good quality content," says series creator Yosef Shidler, "they're going to find it in other places." So every volume is built to compete with everything else on the shelf: riveting, kid-friendly retellings, rich graphics, playful fonts, and a beautiful layout on quality paper. Clear, simple language — so children can read, understand, and connect without needing explanations from parents or teachers.

How a volume gets made

Behind each book is a small team of writers working regularly on the series, along with dedicated research help, visual designers, and illustrators. Stories are gathered, verified, and retold for young readers — from the Baal Shem Tov and the Rashash to modern-day accounts from shluchim around the world, including stories of protection from Eretz Yisroel after October 7th.

It isn't cheap. A single story can cost hundreds of dollars to bring from research to illustrated page, and each volume costs roughly $45,000 to produce. As a non-profit endeavor, the series runs on book sales and the generosity of sponsors — every volume so far has been brought to print by families who believe kids deserve this.

Where it's holding now

Volume 1 is on its third print run. Volumes 2, 3, and 4 line family bookshelves from Lakewood to Australia, and Volume 5 — more than 400 pages, with over 50 new stories — is printed and on its way to stores, with Volume 6 already in the works. Kids are making siyumim on one volume and starting the next the same night. Educators read them in classrooms. Grandparents ship them across the world.

"My dream is to make stories of tzaddikim even more exciting and captivating for kids," says Shidler, "showing them that the true magic lies in their own hiskashrus." That dream is now five volumes deep with a sixth on the way — and it's still growing.