Reviews
The Edelweiss Pirates
“Set in Germany in 1938, this story’s young narrator, Kurt, longs to be an anti-Nazi activist like his older brother, who is a member of the resistance group, the Edelweiss Pirates. Their risky activities include distributing anti-Hitler leaflets, painting over Nazi symbols, and… View →
All Eyes on Alexandra
“The Crane family wonders what to do with Alexandra Crane. She doesn’t follow in formation. She doesn’t march correctly. Instead, she likes to explore and flirt with danger. Saba Crane goes along with her and begins to understand Alexandra’s strengths. He sees that she correctly… View →
Pickled Watermelon
“Molly is looking forward to spending the summer at camp with her friends when her parents tell her about a change in plans. She will be visiting her father’s family in Israel instead, spending an entire month staying with them and getting to know them. Her paternal grandparents… View →
A Heart Just Like My Mother's
“Anna’s mother is renowned for her kindness, creativity, and outgoing humor, which makes Anna feel they have nothing in common and that she will never live up to her mother’s exceptional qualities. After noticing a hungry man asking for money outside their frequently visited deli,… View →
The Family with Two Front Doors
“How can a family have two front doors? Easy – if they live in 1920s Lublin, Poland, have nine children, and need two apartments – one to live in, the other in which the rabbi/father studies and conducts business. Based on Ciddor’s grandmother Nomi’s reminiscences, this View →
Bubbe's Got the Beat
“A loving rhyming adventure features Bubbe, who has gray hair and wears bright red sneakers. She makes chicken soup and challah, but she is ‘totally cool.’ Using a rap-type rhythm and rhyme, Press shows the love between a grandparent and grandchild as they work together View →
Search for the Shamir
“Eric Kimmel has given us another educational monster/demon book. Think Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins (Holiday House, 1994) in ancient Israel. This second book in the Scarlet and Sam series sends the time traveling twins to Jerusalem during the time of King Solomon. They travel… View →
Sadie's Snowy Tu B'Shevat
“Sadie (Sadie’s Sukkah Breakfast, Sadie and the Big Mountain, Sadie and Ori and the Blue Blanket, and more) returns in her seventh book to educate us about the holiday of Tu B’Shevat. Sadie wants to plant a tree to celebrate Tu B’Shevat. She gets a shovel, finds the perfect spot in View →
The Passover Parrot, 2nd Edition
“In celebration of the 35th anniversary of its initial publication, Kar Ben has issued a new edition of The Passover Parrot with full color illustrations. Leba is finally old enough to ask the four questions in Hebrew at her family seder. Her neighbor is moving out of town and… View →
Paulie's Passover Predicament
“Not since Bullwinkle has there been as charming a moose as Paulie. Paulie is a moos-ician who cuts his musical practice short in order to prepare a seder for his friends that evening. He is thoughtfulness personified, although a tad misguided, when he uses some unusual items on… View →
Drop by Drop: A Story of Rabbi Akiva
“Author Jules, a many-time Sydney Taylor Honoree, presents a tale that is at once universally accessible and yet so vital to young Jewish readers.”—Association of Jewish Libraries View →
The Best Sukkot Pumpkin Ever
“Micah visits a pumpkin patch with his family on a mission to find ‘the best pumpkin ever’ for Sukkot. Upon arrival, he learns from the farmer the value of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) and that the pumpkins he finds can be donated to feed people in need at a soup… View →
Engineer Arielle and the Israel Independence Day Surprise
“The roof of a train and the roof of the sky deliver a picture book about Israel’s Independence Day. Engineer Arielle, energetic, 21st century, modern, urban train engineer is the great, great granddaughter of Engineer Ari renowned for his adventures driving the first ever train in View →
Rosie Saves the World
“Caring for the world and people in need around the globe is an essential Judaic value, and so is Areyvut (Jews being responsible for one another). Rosie learns in Hebrew class about Tikkun Olam, or repairing the world by doing good deeds, and sets off to do just… View →
The Cholent Brigade
“Mr. Monty Nudelman is a mensch (good person). On Friday morning following a big storm, he happily shovels snow from the sidewalks, alleys and front porches of his neighbors so they can prepare for Shabbat. When he does not show up for Shabbat services on Saturday morning, View →
Koala Challah
“Lila wants to help her family get ready for Shabbat. She tries making eucalyptus oil candles and eucalyptus wine like her sisters. She tries making decorations for the Shabbat table. Unfortunately, everything she tries makes a huge mess that her parents have to clean up in a hurry View →
Way Too Many Latkes: A Hanukkah in Chelm
“In the town of Chelm, where foolish ideas often turn out for the best, Faigel can’t find her latke recipe. She sends her husband, Shmuel, to ask the rabbi for advice. Too many potatoes? No problem. Use them all! Too many eggs? Ditto. Too many onions? Ditto. At the end of this… View →
The Missing Letters: A Dreidel Story
“Set in the wood carver’s shop as the festival approaches, all the separate pieces of the dreidel are ready to be assembled. They come to life. Letters nun, hey and shin are jealous of gimel, popular with players because of its promised gains. They decide to hide the gimels so they View →
A Concert in the Sand
“This fictional account of the first performance by what was to become the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO), in December 1936, features presumably Hebrew-speaking Uri and his Germanspeaking grandmother. She plucks Uri from a day of boredom… View →
Tisha B'Av: A Jerusalem Journey
“A family learns about ancient Jerusalem in the days of the Temple and about the modern observance of Tisha B’Av in the best and most effective way of all – by exploring ancient sites in a hands-on way; they dig, they walk, they photograph, they touch, they ask, and… View →
Jewish Sports Stars: Athletic Heroes Past and Present
“Back story meshes with athletic achievement in a wide range of sports and eras. Strong, clear vocabulary and honest reports put across the message to sports buffs as well as general readers interested in great moments. Punchy vignettes will appeal to middle and high school… View →
ABC Hanukkah Hunt
Adorably colorful and wide-eyed Jewish family members celebrate Hanukkah in this newest Kar-Ben offering for preschoolers . . . All around, a rare treat of a Hanukkah book that children will ask to read more than once." — AJL Reviews View →