Reviews
Grandma Rose's Magic
“What goes around comes around arrives in a sweet way in the form of a sewing grandmother who always does something extra. Her mitzvot (good deeds) do not go unnoticed, supporting the surprise ending. Grandma Rose sews for young and old: clothes, blankets, table cloths, dolls. She… View →
‘Interweaving history and adventure, Levine (Running on Eggs) takes young readers on a Passover trip worth pursuing. When Jodie’s cousin Zach visits for Passover, she and her siblings want to take him on a variety of trips to help him see all aspects of Israel. Jodie, in… View →
Sadie and the Big Mountain
“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,… View →
Nathan Blows Out the Hanukkah Candles
“Jacob’s older brother, Nathan, celebrates the lighting of the menorah in his own unique way, as he does everything else, by blowing out the candles as soon as they are lit. Nathan exhibits behavior that we associate with autism, but Jacob just finds it annoying. He is thrilled… View →
Hannah's Way
“Hannah’s Way is an American Jewish story that has not been told in picture books before. The time is the 1920s and the place is Northeastern Minnesota, a rural iron mining area called the Iron Range. After her father loses his job in Minneapolis, Hannah’s family moves to… View →
Dinosaur Goes to Israel
“Our AJL colleague, Diane Rauchwerger, has charmed children with stories featuring a dinosaur who celebrates Judaism. In this, her fourth book illustrated by Jason Wolff, Dino joins his human friend on a visit to Israel. The book does more than tell the… View →
Lights Out Shabbat
“In her first children’s book, Shulimson tells a sweet story about keeping the Sabbath even when the unexpected occurs. When a snowstorm knocks out the power at his grandparents’ house in Georgia soon after the Shabbat candles are lit, a little boy finds that a Sabbath without… View →
Lights Out Shabbat
“A rare snowstorm in Georgia knocks out the electricity one Friday night just as Shabbat begins. A boy spends the visit with his grandparents playing in the snow and enjoying their time together. Just after Havdalah (the end of the Jewish Sabbath), the power is restored. ‘It… View →
Grandma Rose's Magic
“A well-stitched tale about generosity for people of all faiths.” —Kirkus Reviews View →
Kill Me Softly
“Cross, who knows her fairy tales, weaves a number of them into her story, giving them interesting twists as she applies them to her vulnerable and rebellious teen characters….Clever fun.” —Kirkus Reviews View →
“A heaping plateful of adventure, spiced to perfection with dangers, deft humor and silly bits.”—starred, Kirkus Reviews View →
The King Who Wouldn't Sleep
“Swain’s dynamic and appealing watercolor-and–color-pencil illustrations add charm, whimsy and amusing details to the happily-ever-after tale.” —Kirkus Reviews View →
Drowning Instinct
“Bick, a child psychiatrist, writes about dysfunction with a professional’s insight, and she goes to great pains to create believable characters…and dramatizes dysfunction and disorder in ways that will attract readers and offer opportunities for classroom… View →
Freedom!: Book 1
“Balthazar’s charming artwork…primarily uses Annie’s eyes and ears to express her many emotions.” —Booklist View →
“Sprightly black-and-white, pen-and-ink spot illustrations enliven the brief chapters, which are filled with earnest, clever kids being funny—and, more importantly, smart.” —Booklist View →
Spotty, Stripy, Swirly: What Are Patterns?
“Parents and teachers looking for a concept book on patterns will find this a rich collection of photos that can spark any number of discussions around the subject.” —Booklist View →
Last Chance
“McClintock keeps her writing at a level simple and clear enough to attract both middle-school and reluctant high-school readers. She portrays both Robyn and Nick as flawed people, but both learn and grow, finally making both interesting and attractive characters…. Great for… View →
Sadie and the Big Mountain
“’Nursery school was lots of fun and Sadie smiled as she filed into Temple Beth El with her friends. There were lots of things to do and she “loved the Hebrew songs they sang during music,’ playing with blocks, climbing on the gym, and stacking up the building… View →
Lights Out Shabbat
“Snowfalls are exciting, especially when they are rare, and this bright picture book captures the thrill of an unexpected storm in a small Georgia town, where a young Jewish boy describes how he celebrates Shabbat with his loving grandparents. On Friday night, the storm causes a… View →
“Jodie’s father was an archaeologist of note and she dreamed of working the digs like he did when she grew up. When she found the afikomen she got a flashlight as a reward and was hoping that ‘her cousin Zach would help her uncover treasures hidden deep inside the… View →
The Girl Who Owned a City: The Graphic Novel
“Like the original—first published in 1975—this is a fast-paced story with philosophical underpinnings, moving through time with effective montages of work and children’s drawings as the survivors attempt to create a new society. Jones’s art is colorful, bold, and… View →
The King Who Wouldn't Sleep
“It’s a treat to come across an original fairy tale that generates surprise not by irony or irreverence, but through sheer narrative ingenuity. Debut author Singleton does just that—her clever story wouldn’t be out of place in a Grimm’s collection.”… View →
Infinity and Me
“Beautifully captures the personal side of infinity through a young girl’s mind-expanding, heart-expanding journey. Infinitely charming.” —Betsy Franco, author of Zero Is the Leaves on the Tree View →