Editorial Review

“Sadie’s synagogue preschool is spending the week preparing for Shavuot, the culmination of which will be a mountain hike, similar to Moshe ascending Mount Sinai. Sadie does not like hiking, and as the class makes walking sticks, learns the Ten Commandments, and makes blintzes, Sadie imagines getting sick with different ailments so she won’t have to go. When the fateful day arrives, Rabbi Jamie, the hike leader, shows her that the mountain is not so big (it’s the hill behind the school). She explains to Sadie that Mount Sinai was not the biggest mountain, either, because God wanted to ‘teach us that anyone can climb high enough to reach God.’

Written by the ‘Adventure Rabbi,’ whose daughter is named Sadie – of Sadie’s Sukkah Breakfast (Kar-Ben, 2011) – the book is obviously autobiographical as the anticipation of facing a fear is combined with the Jewish holiday. The story works well, both in terms of integrating the aspects of Shavuot and the need to prepare both spiritually and physically for a Jewish holiday. The narrative stays true to the age level. The illustrations are colorful and expressive, particularly a very pink bedroom and Sadie’s ‘imagination bubbles.’ The female pre-school teacher and Rabbi Jamie both wear kippot, as do some of the boys and girls. That, with the idea of ‘climbing high enough to reach God,’ makes this a recommended title for non-Orthodox libraries serving pre-school (ages three to five) patrons. "—Association of Jewish Libraries