Reviews
Mr. Tempkin Climbs a Tree
This is a delightful picture book that conveys Jewish — and universal — themes of the importance of intergenerational friendship and helping one’s neighbors. The illustrations are brightly colored and contain many details for children to notice and focus on as they… View →
Monstrous: The Lore, Gore, and Science behind Your Favorite Monsters
“In ‘Monstrous,’ which is filled with Beccia’s sharp and funny illustrations, you can learn loads of basic monster facts (such as ‘Where to find the Kraken and other sea creatures’ and ‘The anatomy of Godzilla’), as well as more offbeat… View →
Friends and Neighbors: Monkey & Robot
“. . . [P]erfect for children learning to read or encountering graphic novels for the first time.”—School Library Journal View →
The Key from Spain: Flory Jagoda and Her Music
The Key from Spain is highly recommended both for children and adults interested in learning about Sephardic culture and history."―Jewish Book Council View →
Walk Till You Disappear
“A survival story about a wounded boy who is lost and injured in the Arizona desert in 1872. A twist on the usual captivity Western, the story of young Miguel Abrano begins with the usual Native American clichés. Raised on a horse ranch in Arizona, young Miguel is a devout Hispanic View →
The Dozier School for Boys: Forensics, Survivors, and a Painful Past
“©ogent and chilling. . . . [T]eens interested in learning more will be well served by this thorough, informative volume.”—starred, Booklist View →
A Dreidel in Time: A New Spin on an Old Tale
“This enchanting book is illustrated in a cheerful, bright style which adds to the fun. Children of today will learn that Hanukkah is less about gifts and more about identity, bravery, and determination.” —Jewish Book Council View →
Nature's Ninja: Animals with Spectacular Skills
“[T]he text encourages emerging scientists by noting that this research is current and ongoing—and that the more scientists learn, the more there is to learn. Arigatou gozaimasu for entertaining enlightenment!”—starred, Kirkus Reviews View →
Crunch and Crack, Oink and Whack!: An Onomatopoeia Story
“The emphasis placed on the sounds of words and the rhythm of the language is naturally suited for reading aloud, while the content works well for elementary students learning about the parts of speech.”—School Library Journal View →
The Key from Spain: Flory Jagoda and Her Music
“Immigrant musician Flory Jagoda preserved a repertoire of Ladino and Sephardic songs learned from her Bosnian Jewish family. A descendant of the Altaras family forced to leave Spain during the Inquisition, Flory and her family must now escape from the Balkans during World War II.… View →
Queer, 2nd Edition: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens
“Reading this new edition today I learned more than a few things about our fabulously diverse queer culture, and especially the younger generation, that everyone should know.”—Terry Beswick, Executive Director of the GLBT Historical Society Archives… View →
Red Menace
“Red Menace is a compelling and engaging story of a tumultuous and painful time in our history. Through a young boy’s eyes, we are drawn into the experience of a particular family, in that time and place. Marty Rafner is a character with great heart and depth. Lois… View →
Debunk It! Fake News Edition: How to Stay Sane in a World of Misinformation
“Debunk It! ain’t bunk—it’s the real deal on how anyone can learn to see through disinformation and find their way to the truth, regardless of the source or topic. In an era where too many people purposefully or unwillingly spread lies, misinformation and just… View →
A Hoopoe Says Oop!: Animals of Israel
“Any author can find a rhyme for ‘cow’ or ‘moo.’ By the time they start school, most kids have read dozens of books about farm animals, but they may not have seen an ibex or a hyrax or a hoopoe. This board book would make an excellent compendium for children View →
Hair!: Animal Fur, Wool, and More
“In this delightful volume, readers learn how to distinguish the distinctive kinds of hair mammals have and their numerous and often very important uses.”—Booklist View →
Sammy Spider's First Wedding
“The very busy spider who has celebrated many Jewish holidays now adds a festive ceremony to his catalog of experiences. The little eight-legged one watches as Mr. Shapiro and his family build a chuppah, or Jewish wedding canopy, under which the bride and groom exchange their vows. View →
Seymour, the Formerly Fearful
“In many novels the main character overcomes great obstacles to achieve what he or she wants in the world. But Seymour doesn’t want to do anything. Seymour avoids the subway, swimming, going outside, and—most of all—learning to ride a bike. He’s afraid of so many things View →
Exposing Hate: Prejudice, Hatred, and Violence in Action
“A necessary book on a hot-button social issue that can help students develop critical thinking skills while learning more about heinous organizations.”—Booklist View →
When Plants Attack: Strange and Terrifying Plants
“Curious readers will be eager to learn more about these creepy plants.”—Booklist View →
Pavel and the Tree Army
“In a setting featuring the Civilian Conservation Corps, Hyde (Shanghai Sukkah) tells a foundational American story of a struggling immigrant who encounters prejudice but finds his way. Pavel is beset with worry after leaving the bread lines of Depression-era New York City View →
“[S]tudents learn about sequencing, loops, debugging, patterns, nested designs, functions, and other coding terms.”—Booklist View →
Light the Menorah!: A Hanukkah Handbook
“After so many years of celebrating Hanukkah, I thought there was nothing more to learn about the holiday but I was wrong. Jacqueline Jules has written an engaging picture book that I could easily see using with my grown-up family every year. There’s an introduction,… View →
Pavel and the Tree Army
“In Depression-era America, Pavel, a Russian-Jewish immigrant, joins the Civilian Conservation Corps and learns to blend his new American identity with his Jewish one. On the advice of his rabbi, Pavel decides to take a job planting trees all over the country as part of the new… View →