Reviews
Yossi and the Monkeys: A Shavuot Story
“Only peripherally about Shavuot, this story is reminiscent of the classic Caps for Sale, in that it involves caps (kippahs) and monkeys. Yossi has no money for challah or blintzes to celebrate Shavuot, so his wife Malka makes three kippahs for Yossi to sell in the market. View →
Chicken Soup, Chicken Soup
“Sophie has two grandmas, one Jewish and one Chinese. Both make chicken soup, one with carrots and kreplach, one with green onions and wontons. Whose soup is better? This touchy subject is nicely resolved when Sophie invites both grandmas to bring over soup for lunch. As the… View →
Hanukkah Delight!
“Award-winning children’s book author and past poet laureate of Northhampton, Massachusetts, Newman needs only a single line of text on each page to convey the rituals—and fun—of Hanukkah to the very littlest ones in this happy board book. The joy of the holiday is further enhanced View →
“The twins, Sophie and Seth, along with their parents, enjoy a picnic lunch on Shabbat, their favorite day of the week. After saying the motzi over challah, drinking cider, and eating fruit and cheese, they run off to the barn where they discover twin newborn calves. Rhyming… View →
Joseph the Dreamer
“This colorfully illustrated retelling of the Biblical story is presented as an engaging, graphic novel featuring Joseph and his family. The classic story is brought to life with vivid colors and clearly written text. Readers will be captivated by this version of a story with which View →
Sammy Spider's First Bar Mitzvah
“Everyone’s favorite little spider is back with a new adventure and a new topic with which to educate young readers and listeners about Jewish life and culture. This latest escapade lands him at Josh’s cousin’s bar mitzvah where he watches the proceedings with… View →
A Concert in the Sand
“This warm, delicious, slim volume is bona fide historical fiction about the first concert by the orchestra that will become the Israel Philharmonic. Humor laced mobile illustrations support the story of a mysterious walk that Uri, a young boy, takes with his grandmother in Tel… View →
A Different Kind of Passover
“Jessica can’t imagine Passover without her beloved grandfather, but this year he is in bed, recovering from a hospital stay and therefore unable to lead the family seder. This night is supposed to be different from all other nights, but this is the wrong kind of different, Jessica View →
A Hanukkah with Mazel
“Misha, a poor but talented artist, lives by himself on the edge of a small village. So begins a tender and hopeful story of kindness, compassion and generosity. On a bitterly cold night before Hanukkah, Misha finds a shivering cat in his barn. ‘I’ll call you Mazel,’ he View →
“Shh…Shh…Shabbat is the perfect book to read with your favorite little one after Friday night dinner every Shabbat. Highly recommended for ages infant – 3.” — Jewish Book Council View →
Shmulik Paints the Town
“Humorous illustrations use black lines and grayscale as a backdrop for Ezra’s brightly colored creations. This is a light-hearted and attractive book that can be used to supplement holiday collections in libraries and schools and can teach about Israel at home.”… View →
ABC Passover Hunt
“particularly good for children in preschool and elementary school, who have had some instruction in and introduction to the details of the Passover story and Haggadah.” — Jewish Book Council View →
Kopecks for Blintzes
“Batori’s elongated faces and tilted surroundings capture the zaniness of the action in full color. Goldman seamlessly interweaves definitions for blintzes, dybuks (demons), melamed (teacher), and Shavuot itself without missing a humorous story beat.” — Jewish View →
Shalom Everybodeee!: Grover's Adventures in Israel
“Grover is as cute and adorable as always, and fills his reports home with wonderful humor. The descriptions of his adventures are always age-appropriate for the designated audience. There is rhythm in his story, and the reader can truly hear Grover speaking the words he is… View →
Sammy Spider's First Taste of Hanukkah: A Cookbook
“This book would be a great resource for parents who have children home on ‘winter break’ and has educational components, as well; it would be especially useful for number and counting activities. Families and classes will enjoy ‘digging into’ this… View →
Hanukkah Is Coming!
“This is a cheerfully illustrated board book written in rhyme with meter that properly scans. Each three line stanza shares an aspect of Hanukkah and ends with the line ‘Hanukkah is coming’, building excitement and glee. The final page satisfyingly ends with the line… View →
Sadie and Ori and the Blue Blanket
“A three hanky ending to a wise, wonderful book which delivers a familiar, real, but sad situation in a comforting way with touching vocabulary that will surely resonate with every family.” — Jewish Book Council View →
The Mountain Jews and the Mirror
“This original folk story reads like a Sephardic Chelm-like tale set in Morocco . . . The lesson can be one of many, including that sometimes we shouldn’t be so quick to judge the person staring back at us in the mirror!” — Jewish Book Council View →
The Colors of Israel
“The author/photographer has taken a close look at Israel and has focused on the many vibrant colors found in the cities, towns, beaches and just about everywhere. Each page is devoted to a particular color and features several beautiful photographs, with the name of the… View →
Seder in the Desert
“The large, full-color photographs beautifully depict the exquisite desert scenery as well as the warmth and spirit of this unique community and are a perfect complement to the descriptive, yet concise, text.” — starred review, Jewish Book Council View →
“Kimmel brings satisfyingly warm detail to a well-known folktale, in an elegant picture book set long ago on the shores of Galilee. Joseph of Tiberius loves to celebrate the Sabbath by selecting choice ingredients when preparing food and inviting all to share dinner with him. When… View →
Jewish Mindfulness for Kids
“This book is a great resource for children, families, and teachers.”―Jewish Book Council View →
Everybody's Book: The Story of the Sarajevo Haggadah
“By celebrating the Sarajevo Haggadah’s value as both a guide to family seders and a priceless work of art, Linda Leopold Strauss and Tim Smart demonstrate how this sacred book became important even to those outside its traditions.”—Jewish Book Council View →
A Book about Bupkes
“Implies the performance of a mitzvah in every scene. A Book About Bupkes changes the familiar notion of bupkes into something truly new.”―Jewish Book Council View →