Reviews
The Boy from Seville
Manuel, 11, and his family are conversos—Jews who have nominally converted to Christianity—in 17th-century Spain. They have fled harsh discrimination in Portugal, but their lives are still shrouded in fear and suspi-cion. When Manuel’s teacher intercedes, the boy is allowed to join View →
Where Do People Go When They Die?
“Haas’s muted watercolor illustrations help set the tone for this meaningful much-needed book on a universal topic." View →
When Rufkin discovers a four-year-old marooned with a life-size puppet on a wrecked riverboat, he’s swept into oddball hijinks that cast him adrift on the Old Ocean, consorting with Queen Sibilla of Fontania and thwarting Madam Butterfly’s devious plot to enthrall the deep-dragon. The… View →
It's Purim Time!
“…offers an attractive, appealing introduction to a holiday that children love to celebrate.” View →
Matzah Ball: A Passover Story
“Bold, detailed watercolors perfectly complement the text’s realistic language and emotions…this will be a hit with sports lovers and anyone seeking an added dimension to a holiday story.” View →
No Rules for Michael
“The colorful illustrations are warm and friendly.” View →
Hanukkah Moon
For Hanukkah, Isobel visits her aunt Luisa, who “just moved here from Mex-ico,” and learns new holiday traditions. Though the educational aspect of the text can overwhelm its sense of story, the depiction of Sephardic traditions is welcome. Mosz’s earthy desert tones… View →
Always an Olivia: A Remarkable Family History
To explain why each generation of their family has an Olivia, an African American woman tells her great-granddaughter about their Jewish family’s journey across the globe to escape reli-gious persecution. Soft paintings add subtle intensity to this story highlighting the importance View →
Sammy Spider's First Bar Mitzvah
“Sammy, the cute, curious spider in this long-running series, has celebrated all of the Jewish holidays, gone to school with Josh Shapiro, learned about Jewish values, and traveled to Israel. In this installment, he sneaks into Mr. Shapiro’s tallit bag (the small, zippered velvet… View →
This Is Not a Cholent
“Teaches children to try different tasting food. Emphasizes the theme that diversity enriches our lives.”—San Diego Jewish World View →
Shabbat Shalom, Grover!
“A useful purchase to have on hand to include or introduce Jewish holidays.” – School Library Journal View →
Pecos Bill
“These easy readers introduce tall tale characters from American history. . . Krensky gives children a feeling for the characters as well as the flavor of the time and the story’s setting.” — School Library Journal View →
“From a gorilla that saved a toddler at the zoo to a dog that helped his owner survive Hurricane Katrina, these true stories about animals that helped people in peril are dramatic and amazing.” —Book Links View →
Here Goes Nothing
“The Shakespeare retelling that YA romance dreams are made of, staying true to the original story while somehow feeling like its own singularly modern, refreshingly relevant journey through complex friendships, sisterhood, queer identity, and unexpected love.” —Kaitlyn Hill,… View →
Violin of Hope
“…this is a heartfelt story of loss, hope, and overcoming, based on true events.” – School Library Journal View →
“Frequent sidebars expand on period topics, and the appended source notes, bibliography, and suggested readings will be a boon to researchers.” —Book Links View →
Here Goes Nothing
“Perfect for people who’ve felt stuck on the outside, Emma Ohland’s Here Goes Nothing embraces the difficulty in finding and accepting yourself. A heartfelt and queer retelling full of characters to love.” —Kelsey Rodkey, author of Last Chance Books View →
Fine Print: A Story about Johann Gutenberg
“. . .the book provides young readers with a sense of history in the making.” —The Horn Book Magazine View →
The Copper Lady
“. . .Readers are bound to admire Lady Liberty . . .” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books View →
Things to Make for Your Doll
“Young doll owners will be pleased with this portfolio of instructions to make accessories and very simple no-sew doll clothes. The twenty projects (adaptable for any size doll) include jewelry, a bathing suit made from a sock, and clothes hangers. . .” … View →
“Both of these small, square volumes feature lots of nice, bright pictures, many taken from unusual angles [Earthmovers and Trains].” —Booklist View →
The Secret of Priest's Grotto: A Holocaust Survival Story
“Taylor and Nicola complement this lesser-known survival story with descriptions of their own exploration of the caves and recovered artifacts, interviews with survivors, and a blend of modern-day and period photographs.” —Book Links View →
Read Anything Good Lately?
“From ‘an atlas at the airport’ to ‘a yoga book in the yard’ and ‘the zodiac at the zoo,’ a little girl moves playfully along through biography, comics, dictionary, encyclopedia, magazine, poetry, quotations, recipes, and a variety of genres.… View →
Counting on Naamah: A Mathematical Tale on Noah's Ark
“. . . [A] pretty darn good combination of classic tale and mathical mathiness.”—Betsy Bird View →