Reviews
Synopsis: ‘’How can Irene and Charles work together on their fifth grade poetry project? They don’t know each other . . . and they’re not sure they want to. Irene Latham, who is white, and Charles Waters, who is black, use this fictional setup to delve into different… View →
The T-Rex Who Lost His Specs!
“[L]ibraries in search of more books about wearing glasses, humor, or dinosaurs will find this a pleasant addition, suitable for one-on-one and group sharing.”—School Library Journal View →
A Heart Just Like My Mother's
“Anna, an introspective, creative, and self-deprecating young girl finds herself lacking compared to her elegant and fashionable mother. Contemplating her mother’s exciting escapades, she thinks of herself as not as creative, not as caring, and not as much fun. Anna’s devoted View →
The Family with Two Front Doors
“Ciddor’s lively novel transports readers to the Jewish quarter of the town of 1920s Lublin, Poland, where the Rabinovitch family of 11 (including a rabbi father, a mother, and their nine children) carries out its Orthodox traditions in both rambunctious and respectful style.… View →
Chavo the Invisible
Chavo the Invisible is the third installment of writer Lee Nordling’s ‘’Game For Adventure” series of wordless mini-graphic novels, following Andrew the Seeker and Belinda the Unbeatable. It’s his first with artist Flavio Silva, as Patty Cake‘s Scott Roberts… View →
What Can't Wait
By day, Dr. Sarah Derry manages the SC STEM Hub and a busy family life. Still, she makes time to read each night, and her choices often involve books with a STEM element. Today, she’s sharing one of her favorites: What… View →
“This is an extraordinary book, one that can make the needed connection for young children to see human beings as more than their circumstances.”—starred, Kirkus Reviews View →
Fandom: Fic Writers, Vidders, Gamers, Artists, and Cosplayers
“This book fills a need for a positive, informative resource that covers the breadth of fandom in one book . . .”—Booklist View →
Auma's Long Run
“Odhiambo’s heartbreaking tale of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s weaves the many threads of the disease’s course into one accessible cloth.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books View →
Koala Challah
“Cuddly animals, here koala bears, will remind you that challah is part of the Shabbat service as they deliver a story imbued with determination and perseverance that proves the positive results of these two fine character traits. Koala Lila wants to keep up with her two older sisters,… View →
The Missing Letters: A Dreidel Story
“One night, after the dreidel maker leaves his shop, the letters Nun, Hey, and Shin conspire to hide the soundly sleeping Gimels—since the Gimels are everyone’s favorite Hebrew letter and they always win. ‘Think about it,’ says one Shin to the other letters,… View →
The Disturbed Girl's Dictionary
“These pages vibrate with Macy’s fury, beat with her enormous heart, and take flight. I wanted to burn down the whole damn world and build a new one worthy of her. Instead, I started the book over to witness again the alchemy that turns brokenness into a thing of beauty.… View →
Drop by Drop: A Story of Rabbi Akiva
“Rabbi Akiva, the second century Jewish sage, is considered to be one of the greatest rabbinic scholars and was the inspiration for many legends. Jules, who previously focused on biblical heroes in Abraham’s Search for God, Benjamin and the Silver Goblet, Miriam in the Dessert, and View →
The Six-Day Hero
“The opening scene in The Six-Day Hero takes place at a ceremony in celebration of Israel’s nineteenth birthday. Twelve-year-old Motti’s brother Gideon is on the dais being honored as an Independence Day baby. Motti can’t stand the boring, hot ceremony and wriggles out to… View →
The Whispering Town
“This picture book with a graphic novel sensibility tells the story of a young girl, Anett, whose family is harboring Jewish refugees in a Danish fishing village. Anett brings food to the mother and child hidden in her cellar, and helps guide them to boats on one moonless night.… View →
Losing the Girl: Book 1
“MariNaomi authentically captures the angst, vulnerability, and longing of the teenage soul through not just one but four unique and distinct voices.”—Jen Wang, The Prince and the Dressmaker 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 →
Moti the Mitzvah Mouse
“Lots of people commit acts of mischief when no one is looking. Moti the mouse secretly commits good deeds. Moti lives under the kitchen sink in the home of a white, Jewish family, but he sometimes sneaks out to perform a ‘mitzvah.’ The term is a traditional Hebrew word View →
Auma's Long Run
“In Auma’s Long Run, Eucabeth Odhiambo shares an unflinching look at the AIDS epidemic’s impact on one Kenyan village and introduces readers to a determined heroine with a commitment to knowledge and a fierce dedication to her family.… View →
Gus's Garage
“[A]n amusing book to reread, since even the smallest details are assigned a narrative purpose. Clearly, one animal’s clutter is another pig’s livelihood in this buoyant, rhyming tale.”—The New York Times Book Review View →
The Art Lesson: A Shavuot Story
“What could be better to bring home the meaning of a Jewish holiday, especially the spring harvest holiday of Shavuot, which shows God’s gift of Torah to the Jewish people, than a book about making art! Shavuot is usually celebrated either by staying up one night of Shavuot… View →
Yaffa and Fatima: Shalom, Salaam
“Based on an old folktale with both Jewish and Arabic roots, this version of the story focuses on Yaffa and Fatima, two neighbors who are Jewish and Muslim, respectively. The first half of the book sets up their friendship and lays out the different customs of each woman. Then hard View →
The Cricket and the Ant: A Shabbat Story
“This book was originlly published in Hebrew under the title Can You Spare a Grain of Sugar? by a well-known Israeli children’s author and is a best seller in Israel. It is an adaptation of one of Aesop’s Fables. A happy little cricket sings all week long… View →
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 →