1 comments about Happy New Year, Julie (American Girls Collection).

1. Christmas is here, but it's different this year. For the first time, Julie and her older sister Tracy will be celebrating Christmas twice: once with their mother and once with their father. The girls are still getting used to their parents' divorce, but it's proving especially hard for Tracy. She initially doesn't want to go to their dad's house - their old house, which now looks and feels empty and strange - and even though she eventually goes along, she ends up leaving early. Shortly thereafter, Julie gets involved in preparations for Chinese New Year with her best friend Ivy and her family.
   
   Happy New Year, Julie is the third book in the Julie line written by Megan McDonald and illustrated by Robert Hunt. Julie Albright is one of the American Girls, books which offer realistic glimpses into America's past through the eyes of young girls. Throughout the series, Julie has grown more optimistic and thoughtful. This book in particular shows how she always finds things to celebrate and appreciate, including her family.

2 comments about Chocolate Chip Challah and Other Twists on the Jewish Holiday Table: An Interactive Family Cookbook.

1. Although Amazon lists the age for this book as 4 to 8 yrs.old, it is really for adults together with children to learn about the Jewish holidays by interacting in the way Jews have always celebrated,WITH FOOD! There are simple instructions for the recipes (which are delicious), adorable cartoonish food characters,explanations of and the author's memories of holidays. There is also room for the parent,grandparent or child to record holiday memories.A delightful book.My entire family loves it.



2. Even though I have been cooking Jewish foods for almost 10 years (and have no children), the recipies offered in this book make preparing for the holidays fun! The challah recipie is a big hit now with my family and I make one every year for each evening meal. Highly recommend for the "childish cook" in all of us.

No comments about The Mitzvah Girl.

2 comments about What Zeesie Saw on Delancey Street (Aladdin Picture Books).

1. This is an oustanding book for children. My daughter received it as a gift, and it is one of those rare books that adults feel delivers a powerful message, but children love anyway! The book gives an interesting look at an immigrant Jewish community without ever being pedagogical, and, even better, teaches a wonderful philosophy of social justice and "charity" without being in the least preachy and (even rarer) without stating in words the point the story has just made. You will love this one



2. This would be a fine book even if it were only a well-executed example of those "learn about a culture" books. But it is much more. The book teaches -- without the heavy-handed EXPLANATIONS that so often destroy the flow and writing and make the whole thing seem so artificial -- about Jewish values and the complexities of social responsibility, justice and dignity, without ever TELLING them to the reader. The author lets the story speak for itself, and the message comes through all the more clearly, not less, for her forbearance. Just terrific. Worth the price for the kids on your list (and I don't think it's only appropriate for under-eights).

No comments about Feast Days & Holy Days:.

No comments about Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Life and Death (First Facts).

1 comments about Child's Guide to Baptism (Child's Guide).

1. I was able to review book with my grandson before his baptism.
   He is 2 1/2 years old. The way the book presents baptism made it
   easier for my grandson to understand the sacrament. The book helped to lessen my granson's fear and anxiety of water being poured on his head and then being blessed with oil. Child's Guide to Baptism (Child's Guide)

No comments about Can You Imagine: Creative Drawing Adventures for the Jewish Holidays (Activity Books).

No comments about My Sikh Year (A Year of Religious Festivals).

3 comments about The Blessing of the Animals.

1. the blessing of the animals is a delightful story about a boy and his dog and his predicament regarding the dog's religious affiliation or lack thereof. Does a child's pet take on the religion of the child and family? Or can the pet share another religious affiliation by virtue of the fact that it is indeed an animal and is viewed "differently"? Or does the pet have a religion at all? These are the questions that the boy in the book needs to answer before making a final decision.



2. There were many admirable things about this book - among them, a likeable and believable child protagonist, good depictions of his relationships with the adults in his life, especially his mom and grandfather, and a plot Jewish children who love animals will easily relate to. In spite of these strengths, the book is seriously flawed. At one point, an adult tells the young boy that a Christian custom has nothing to do with Judaism, "just like Hannukah has nothing to do with Christmas and Passover has nothing to do with Easter". When I read this, I excalimed, "That's a lie! Easter has *everything* to do with Passover!" It also disturbed me that, though the boy approaches the priest as one of the adults he wants to poll (see the previous review for this plot point), he never actually *talks* to this man. He's scared of him, and that's presented as being okay. Up to this point, I had thought the book a fine ecuminical story that I wanted to share with the fifth graders when I visited our local school (I am a librarian). I did not. It struck me that interfaith dialogue could not be advanced by presenting an unfair and inaccurate picture of Christianity. And this could have been - and was, in many ways - such a good book! Mr. Rosen should have had a Catholic or Episcopalian friend read his manuscript and correct factual errors.



3. Not only are the illustrations fantastic in this book, but the issues that are dealt with are done in a way that are sensitive to all sides of the dialogue. Religion is a hard thing to question, especially as a child, and Rosen creates a story that sensitively gets right to the heart of a child's concerns about belief. I believe this book encourages kids to contemplate their faith in a very healthy way. I highly recommend it!