Reviews
Jeremy's Dreidel
“Jeremy longingly eyed the poster on the wall of the Jewish community center. There was going to be a dreidel workshop on Monday and the only thing that kids were asked to do was to ‘bring your own ideas!’ Just maybe he had an idea to bring. Abby and David, who were… View →
Four Secrets
“‘There is a secret story and it is inside of another secret story and that one is inside of another secret story,’ writes Katie, and the four secrets, one about each of the teens, are satisfyingly juicy yet given depth by Willey’s understanding of the… View →
Emanuel and the Hanukkah Rescue
“With softly lit pastel artwork and a clear, exciting narrative, this picture book blends the history of Jewish persecution with a young boy’s role in a gripping rescue story. In eighteenth-century New Bedford, Massachusetts, nine-year-old Emanuel’s father owns a whaling supply… View →
Lights Out Shabbat
“Celebrate Shabbat the Southern way with this charming episodic adventure that underlines the true meaning of this weekly holiday—family love and devotion. When a young boy goes to visit his grandparents in Atlanta for a sleepover, a surprise snowstorm hits the area, causing a… View →
Barnyard Purim
“When Farmer Max goes off to see a Purim play, the resourceful animals he has left behind decide to put on their own Purim play. The biggest of them all, Horse, seems a natural choice for the role of the King. Goat’s beard makes him a shoo-in for Mordecai, and sweet, bashful Duck… View →
Sadie and the Big Mountain
“Sadie loves everything about school. But when Morah Sarah tells the class that they will mark Shavuot with a hike, like Moses did when he climbed Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, Sadie is very worried that she won’t be able to complete the trek. Each day that week the teacher… View →
Fly, Chick, Fly!
“Unlike the signature, comedic style of cartooning Ross uses in the Horrid Henry and Little Princess books, his textural pastel illustrations in this story about a baby barn owl are delicate and quiet, an excellent match for Willis’s lyrical text…. A conventional but… View →
Hannah's Way
" It is the Depression and Hannah’s father has lost his job. They are forced to move from Minneapolis to northern Minnesota where she is the only Jew in her class at school. Her parents are rigorous believers in following the rules and regulations governing the Sabbath. Hannah View →
Dinosaur Goes to Israel
“This is Dinosaur’s fourth adventure, having celebrated Jewish holidays and Shabbat in Dinosaur on Passover, Dinosaur on Hanukkah, and Dinosaur on Shabbat. This one takes him to Israel as a tourist. He digs in the sand on the beautiful beach in Tel… View →
“You’ve changed over your crockery, your food cupboards – what about your children’s bookshelves? And I am not talking about removing the remnants of squashed bagel, ‘posted’ between them several weeks ago in a moment of toddler experimentation. Well, yes – you need to View →
Hannah's Way
“The inside cover of this book reads ‘After Papa loses his job during the Depression, Hannah’s family moves to rural Minnesota, where she is the only Jewish child in her class. When her teacher tries to arrange carpools for a Saturday class picnic, Hannah is upset. Her… View →
The Great Sheep Shenanigans
“Big-nosed, pale gray Lou is endearing even if he is the antihero. Kids will be diverted by Bently’s skillful and risible rhymes and by Matsuoka’s droll depictions of Lou’s antics, and they’ll wolf this one down.” —The Bulletin of the Center… View →
Beep and Bah
“Beep, who resembles a truncated, malfunctioning pogo stick, and Bah, a somewhat querulous creature with a perpetually concerned expression on his face, try to track down the sock’s rightful owner, traveling from one animal to the next, with lots of slapstick and… View →
Summertime Blues: Book 2
http://rosepetals1984.wordpress.com/2012/04/03/review-summertime-blues/Summertime Blues is the second book in the popular “Lou” series by Julien Neel. This was a wonderful story that had Lou and her mother traveling to Memaw’s place to spend… View →
The Lonely Beast
“‘There is only one Beast in each country… and they don’t even know one another.’ A lonely Beast sets off to find someone like him. In a series of humorous episodes, he hitches a ride on a whale, beautifies a park, becomes a media darling, etc. This original story View →
What to Expect When You're Expecting Hatchlings: A Guide for Crocodilian Parents (and Curious Kids)
“The life cycle of members of the crocodilian family is cleverly and humorously described in this delightful book. The informative text, framed in a ‘Q and A’ format, encompasses many pertinent facts about alligators, crocodiles, caimans and gharials and flows easily… View →
The Queen Who Saved Her People
“This book is an imaginative take on the tried and true Purim story. King Ahashuerus is looking for a queen. His loyal followers find Esther, a young and beautiful Jewish girl, who the king selects to be his wife. She lives with her cousin Mordechai, who persuades her to hide her… View →
Barnyard Purim
“Farmer Max is heading off to a Purim play and the animals on the farm are a wee bit jealous, so they decide to re-enact one themselves. Chicken decides to direct and assign parts to the other animals. Horse will play King Ahashuerus, Duck will be Queen Esther, Goat will be… View →
Lily Renée, Escape Artist: From Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer
“This is a book about determination, hardship, and overcoming adversity. There aren’t many Holocaust-themed books that have a happy ending, which makes this one all the more pleasurable to read.” —Jewish Book World View →
“When Marcel Mangel was a little boy, his father took him to see a Charlie Chaplin movie. Marcel was amazed to see that the comic actor was able to make people laugh out loud even though he did not say a word. This uncanny ability made Marcel want to be just like Charlie, and he… View →
“This is a beautifully written and illustrated nonfiction picture book for older elementary students. Marcel Marceau knew from the age of 5 that he wanted to be a silent actor like Charlie Chaplin. Marcel never lost sight of his dream, performing on stage for over 60 years and… View →
Beep and Bah
“Burks’ digitally created illustrations are appealingly cartoonish, with exaggeratedly angular animals and bright, candy colors (a few landscapes call Dr. Seuss to mind)…. This will be a perfect fit for kids drawn to graphic novels but not quite ready for a full-length… View →
“Spielman’s excellent biography of the Master of Mime engages one from the outset by introducing young Marcel as he is raiding his father’s wardrobe to dress up as Charlie Chaplin and entertain neighbors on the streets of pre-World War II France. We see that Marceau was, from his… View →