2 comments about Lotty's Lace Tablecloth (Jewish Heirloom Stories).

1. This heart-warming and meaningful story will appeal to children, mainly girls ages 7 - 10 years of age. It begins with Nina, a girl of about 7-8 years of age, who proudly announces that her mother has inherited a family heirloom, a lace tablecloth made by her great, great, great Grandma Lotty. Nina is pleased to share that this lovely item had once belonged to the Empress Elizabeth of Austria.
   
   Nina recounts the history of how her great, great, great Grandma Lotty had become a lace maker and made the lace tablecloth. She lets us know its significance: it was used for Shabbat, to honor the Sabbath Queen on Friday nights. The story is beautifully illustrated in colorful and striking detail by Ksenia Topaz . The artistic and realistic images tremendously enhance the enjoyment of the story.
   
   The author, Tami Lehman-Wilzig, reveals how Lotty Gross, the daughter of a poor Jewish family, had hopes of making a name for herself. She ends up becoming a famous lace maker in Vienna. Her intricate patterns and hand made lace work had come to the attention of Empress Elizabeth. She fell in love with the lace tablecloth displayed in the window of Lotty's shop. Lotty kept the tablecloth on display but it was used every Friday night to welcome the Sabbath Queen. There is a mystery surrounding the lace tablecloth which involves a misunderstanding between Empress Elizabeth and Lotty. The puzzle is resolved in a most satisfactory and pleasing manner which makes for a very pleasant ending to this very charming book. Most highly recommended. Another recommended book for children by the same author isMayer Aaron Levi and His Lemon Tree.
   Erika Borsos [pepper flower]



2. Charming illustrations bring to life a by-gone era, as Nina tells the story of her family's Sabbath lace tablecloth, which has been handed down from generation to generation. In Vienna, Austria, her great-great-great grandmother, Lotty Gross, a celebrated lace maker, made a beautiful lace tablecloth to welcome the Sabbath Queen to her home on Shabbat. Nina tells what happened when the Empress Elizabeth saw the exquisite tablecloth and insisted on buying it to use at her palace receptions. Once she found out the tablecloth's importance to Lotty, the Empress proved to have a heart. She sent it to Lotty to use it every weekend, and left it to Lotty in her will when she died. Now Nina's grandmother has given Nina's mother the tablecloth, and they have told Nina that someday it will be given to her.
   
   First in a new series from Gefen of Jewish Heirloom Stories, this includes space at the end for young readers to write in information about Shabbat heirlooms they have at their own homes, and to paste in photos of them. They will be encouraged to find out about such heirlooms as candlesticks or Kiddush cups from their parents and grandparents, and will learn their family's history in this way. Lehman-Wilzig, the Israeli author of Tasty Bible Stories and Keeping the Promise, emphasizes in a gentle, non-preachy way the importance of honoring the Sabbath, as well as the importance of appreciating and retaining family history. This is a lovely addition to Shabbat stories for Jewish libraries, and would make a nice gift for children and grandchildren. Ages 6-10. Reviewed by Anne Dublin

2 comments about Mayer Aaron Levi and His Lemon Tree.

1. This lovely and heart-warming story by Tami Lehman-Wilzig provides a great example of the benefits of sharing to children ages 7 - 11. When a person does a good deed for someone, especially those less fortunate, it represents how G-d cares for all of creation. This type of caring reverberates throughout the community and often has far reaching consequences as demonstrated so nicely by this story. The book is a joy to read because it teaches a great lesson. It is also a joy to view the the realistic and colorful artwork by Ksenia Topaz who beautifully illustrates each page of this book.
   
   The story is told by Joshua a boy of about 5 years of age who received a small lemon tree in a black pot from his Grandpa who told Joshua about the history and importance of this lemon tree. A long time ago, during the turn-of-the-century lived their relative Mayer Aaron Levi with his wife Raezel and their two daughters and two sons in a poor village in Russia. Mr. Levi took great care of his lemon tree which produced a lot of fruit. From time to time, he and his wife counted the lemons on their tree. At times, Raezel would find fewer lemons which she reported to her husband but he did not reply about the matter or seem too concerned.
   
   Several weeks later, neighbors came with gifts brought to the Levi family. One young neighbor brought lemon pudding. Another brought over several pieces of lemon pie. Someone else brought over lemon flavored tea. Raezel was surprised and questioned her husband about all these gifts made from lemons. ... He explained, that he left the extra lemons they did not need in a bucket by the gate for the poor. He knew Raezel kept close track of their fruit and did not want her to worry her so he did not mention it. After this wonderful experience, It became a tradition in the Levi family to place a lemon tree in a black pot and give it to the next generation with instructions on how to care for the tree ... and the fruit which it bore. This is a highly recommended book which provides a wonderful example of sharing ... Another book by the same author recommended for children is Lotty's Lace Tablecloth. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]



2. This beautifully spun tale provides a wealth of teaching possibilities by retelling a family's devotion to a single lemon tree and the effect it has had on the five generations that followed. Through the great-great-grandson's version of his grandfather's recollections, we experience the world of Eastern Europe's Jews and their hardships. More importantly, Lehman-Wilzig confirms the importance of Judaism and its principles within the daily village culture. A single lemon tree not only provides an entire village with substance and a bit of luxury, it serves to reveal the lessons of Torah, the value of caring acts, the responsibility to one's family, to one's community and the earth. The story drawn from the Pirkei Avot; Mishna 3:22, focuses on the value of hard work, the process of creating from our own hands and the importance of continuity. The "theft" of a few lemons demonstrates how the best intentions to provide for the family may misdirect a person's behavior from living a life of Torah, while revealing that people can learn new lessons and that the ability to perform mitzvoth surrounds us at every moment. The artwork engages the reader with its portrayal of days past, offering many visual opportunities to delve into the historical life of a Jewish village. The combination of Mishna, text and artwork provides an entire lesson plan. It also features an activity page, which asks the reader to discover their family tzedaka heirloom. Part of Gefen's new series of Jewish Heirloom Stories, this delightful picture book is a treasure. For ages 7 -10. Reviewed by Christine Maasdam

5 comments about Magid Fasts for Ramadan.

1. I really appreciate this book for not just discussing Ramadan but bringing up some issues surrounding Ramamdan. It allows Muslims to be human and assists us in appreciating all the trouble they go through in order to worship God in their own way. I wish I could have known about this book for Ramadan this year, but I will use it next year in my classroom.



2. As a Muslim, I really liked this book, because it addresses typical Muslim issues. I thought it was very accurate, by the way; Islam does not require fasting until a person is past puberty. Fasting is required only for healthy adults (not the sick, pregnant, traveling, elderly, etc.), so -- although some Muslim children do enthusiastically try out a fast or two before puberty -- it's not a requirement and is not common. So I think this book was informative, representative of the Muslim experience, and empathetic. Recommended.



3. I bought this book for my sister's little girl. She has a Christian/American mother and a Muslim/Algerian father. I read the book myself before giving it as a gift. It is a very sweet book about a little boy and his family. The boy enjoys talking and learning about Islam with his grandfather who lives in the home with them. The child chooses to fast for Ramadan even though he is afraid his parents will not allow it because of his age. This a simple and sweet children's book that promotes understanding.



4. Set in modern Egypt, with subdued watercolors, the book tells the story of Magid, who at age 8, wants to fast for Ramadan. His older sister, 12, is fasting, why can't he? She glares at him when he voices his desire to fast like everyone else in the household. The story realistically shows some sibling antagonisms. The story shows a close 3 generation family, waking early to eat and pray, making it through the day, and watching for the evening lanterns to be lit by the muezzin. Magid feels great pride as he skips breakfast and then lunch. He shows his openness to various levels of obedience when his friend Gamal informs him that Gamal's family is not into fasting. Magid breaks his fast with a date, just as The Prophet did, and the next day he skips breakfast again. But when he gets caught, he learns an important lesson. Along the way we learn why they fast, read about their relatives in Cairo and Detroit, and understand more about the spirit of Ramadan.



5. I and my wife were very disappointed with this book as Muslim parents. The principles that the book promotes to it's audience, Muslim youth; are dangerous and erroneous ones. The child Majid, the main character in this story wants to begin fasting for Ramadan at age 7 and is not permitted by his parents, he disobeys and lies to his parents in order to follow his own desires. His sister who is 12 does not want to fast and is allowed to follow her own desires. Lying is a sin in Islam regardless of the reason, this is not a behavior that should be excused or accepted. At age seven a child is old enough to begin at least a partial fast and should in order to prepare him/her mentally and physically for the task when it is required of them at puberty. If this had been done with the sister in the story she would have been fully prepared and fasting at 12. This book appears on the surface to be benevelent and harmless but it promotes a false image of Islamic family behavior and values to non-Muslims and a very poor example for Muslim familes to follow. Absolutely not recommended.

4 comments about Private Joel and the Sewell Mountain Seder (Passover).

1. This book, written for young readers, is full of life and hope and deep humanity. I loved it, not only for its interesting story of life as a Civil War soldier, but for its warmth and reminder that even under adversity, it is possible to live as a full human being. The text and illustrations sing together, making the characters come alive. It's one of Fireside's best.



2. Based on a true story, this historical fiction is set in the year 1862, during the Civil War. Private J. A. Joel was part of a Jewish company of Union soldiers, camped out in West Virginia. With only two weeks away before Passover, Private Joel and his friends were homesick for family, and wanted to have their own Seder, or traditional Jewish Passover meal. The private and some of his fellow Jewish soldiers write a letter to their commander, William S. Rosencrans, asking for permission for a short leave so that they could prepare for and celebrate their traditional Seder. They are given permission, and are joined by several African American former slaves that now fight for the Union. With the help of a kindly Jewish sutler, supplies were procured and sent back to the men for their meal. Improvisation was the name of the game as the soldiers substituted ingredients that were on hand near their encampment for the traditional meal. Were these Jewish soldiers successful in holding their Passover Seder? Did it go off without any problems? Did Commander Rosencrans really have his spoon bend almost in half from his battle with a matzah ball? Find out by reading this excellent book!
   
   Author Bryna Fireside has done an excellent job of weaving a true story into a page-turning chapter book. I found this fascinating as a story and educational regarding the Jewish Passover celebration. The excellent illustrations by Shawn Costello make you feel as if you knew each soldier personally since their facial expressions throughout are so realistic and become truly humorous when accompanied by Bryna's funny dialog of the soldiers after they've had a few too many sips of cider. This is a wonderful story about the loneliness of the soldiers as they fought so far from home and missed family, friends, and a chance to celebrate their faith. I found this book to be very touching, realistic, and educational. This book is a keeper!



3. I bought this book for my almost 8 year old grandson for Passover and it turned out to be a wonderful history lesson. He loved reading the book to me and he was fascinated by the Civil War story. It brought that era to life for him



4. This unusual Passover book is a work of historical fiction, based on research conducted by the author about a group of Jewish soldiers in the 23rd Ohio Regiment of the Union Army during the Civil War. The characters and events are based on an actual soldier's diary entry. The soldiers are keenly aware of the similarities between the Exodus and what they were trying to accomplish--defending their country and freeing the slaves. The author even added African Americans to her imagined Seder, to acknowledge their impact on the outcome of the war. None of the soldiers had ever prepared for a Seder before, since that was the job of their mothers and sisters. The book explains how they did their best with what they had. This section of the book reaps the benefits of the author's extensive research, and does a remarkable job of making the experience come alive for the reader. The painted illustrations add just the right amount of drama to the story. The soldiers knew that they could not make the Seder perfect and instead focused on the greater meaning and symbolism of the Seder. As the author pointed out, that night was "certainly different from all other nights and from all other seders." Ages 7-12. Reviewed by Rachel Rosner

4 comments about Anne Frank: Life in Hiding.

1. This is another book about Anne Frank that I get the chance to read. Although there are many biographies about this wonderful human being, this book is the closest one that can answer the questions that all Anne Frank fan has. I did for many years just read the Diary over and over but I wanted more! This book is definetly more! It tells you more about the relationship she had with her family and the rest of the people in hiding. This is a girl who could hardly see the light coming from her window and the only green thing that she could think about was a huge chestnut outside the Annex. This book describes this little things that she cherished and that she no longer had....her freedom. She didn't either had freedom of speach inside the Annex due to the critics about her attitude. This book develops more information about why Anne acted like she did and why she had an open opinion about everything. It also gives you a bigger idea of why she didn't like her mother and develops more about her childhood around her family and her friends. I hope all readers that enjoy the Anne Frank writings will enjoy this description about her persona. Is a total different thing to read her diary knowing more about her life and early aspirations. ENJOY!



2. The summary on this book is this is a book about Anne Frank. It tells about her life and her diary. Also it tells about her troubles and her problems. In this book, people are put into concentration camps and poision gas room by the Nazis. If you don't know who the Nazis are, they are a type of group that dosen't like Jews.
   Anne was born in 1856.Anne was very adventrous. She liked to write, so at the age of 13, her mom and dad bought her a diary. Anne was very talkative. Sha always got into trouble.
   Some problems that she faced is hidding.She was hidding from the Nazis. She was hidding with another family and a dentist. Also another problem she faced is physical changes.
   Some ways she solved her problems is by writting in her diary. In her diary she would write about things that were going on in her life. Another way she solved her problem is by hidding. This is a problem solver because if she didn't she would be in a concentration camp.



3. This book is filled with the ups and downs of Anne Frank, how she handles her problems, how life was being Jewish and happy memories of her life. It tells how Anne was a very energetic girl who had fun with friends and was very social. However, it also describes how hard life was for her, being Jewish, going into hiding and being captured and being transported to different concentration camps. Anne was born on June 12, 1929 in Frankfurt Germany. During her time in hiding she kept all her secret thoughts in a diary that her mother and father (Edith and Otto Frank) gave to her the day she turned 13(June 12, 1942). Anne had a very strong bond with her father and sister (Margot) but not as strong with her mother but she still loved her dearly. This is a wonderful book and I recommend it to anyone who is interested about Anne Frank.



4. This book is magical, because it shows you and makes you feel like you are the scene. It made me think how hard it would be to live like a young Jewish girl called Anne Frank living a life with guns being shot and having to move so much.
   I can not imagine living like Anne that can only go to shops that have the Jewish signs, and not much of the stores had them. Anne was very brave to put up with this stuff every day. She is unbelievable, she was a great person. You should read this book because it can give you information and show how lucky we are that we have freedom to go anywhere we want to go.
   I had a lot of fun reading this book and it showed me how lucky I am to be here in the United States. This book also taught me how cruel Hitler was to the Jewish and other people.

3 comments about I'm Taking a Trip on My Train.

1. This book is a rhyme that repeats itself adding a verse at a time. It uses pictures of various train cars, etc. that my son shouts out as we get to them. Great for 3-4 year olds.



2. We discovered this book at the library and it became a favorite. After returning it our 3 year old kept asking for "the train book" and we couldn't remember the title. Her persistance drove our detective work (do you have any idea how many juvenile train books there are?) and it is now a bed-time, back-seat, grandma's lap, any-old-time-favorite. It is also the first book our little girl "read" back to us! This book has great rhymes, details to rediscover, and new vocabulary leading to more new vocabulary. Special memories..and a big thumbs up from our little engineer!



3. We discovered this at the library as well. My son (an early train lover) already responded to it at 15 months, and by 18 months was asking for it. At 20 months now, he knows words like "caboose" and "signal" because of this book! (Ok, maybe not the world's most useful words, but for a train lover...) The book is repetitive in a way kids seem to love, and has pictures for words in places so they can "read" along with you. The ending is also very cute, connecting train-world to the real world of baby's life. My husband is not a big fan of the illustrations (the cover gives a good indication of what they are like) and I agree they are somewhat cutesy and with little artisitc merit, but my son doesn't seem to care!

1 comments about Ramadhan and Eid-ul-Fitr.

1. Written by a young girl, this book captures the true spirit of the holidays of Ramadhan and Eid-ul-Fitr! The illustrations would be very appealing to a child as they have been created by a child.
   This book explains the special Muslim holidays from a child's perspective and would therefore be a valuable tool to be used in schools when studying different holidays from various cultures and religions!
   I highly recommend this book!
   The month of Ramadhan will begin in the year 2008 on September 3.

3 comments about Holi (Rookie Read-About Holidays).

1. My 3 year old son just loved this book, the pictures are great, very relevant, and appealing to his age group, and older(visiting 4-6 yr olds have also appreciated this book). They understand the story of good vs evil a little better than he does, but this is an indispensable addition to any S. Asian Hindu who would like to share memories, and create new festival traditions with their children.



2. This book's virtues are its simple text, interesting facts, and beautiful color photographs. There are just 1 or 2 sentences on each two-page layout, with just a couple of pages displaying as many as 3 sentences. However, with these limited words, the book educates the reader about the Hindu story behind Holi, the celebratory traditions of Holi, and the significance of Holi. I especially recommend this 31-page book for readers age 4-8; however, even adults will learn interesting facts about Holi. I never knew what the colored powder was made of, and I had never heard of Princess Holika until I read this book. I also loved the photographs of typical Indian families smiling, celebrating, and enjoying each other's company.

   This book would be educational and enjoyable for both Indians and non-Indians, but it does have a couple of minor flaws. One is when the author writes, "Some people visit the temple on Holi." The accompanying photograph shows a kid wearing sneakers, so I doubt he's in a Hindu temple. It's probably some kind of community hall because Hindus never wear shoes in a temple. (However, this flaw is minor because the sneakers are in the background, and you'd have to pay pretty close attention to even notice them).

   One thing that is slightly more troublesome is the repetition of 4 non-English words throughout the text; the author never indicates which language they're from. I wish the author had added one sentence like, "These words are from Hindi, the national language of India." I think this would have made things clearer for the many non-Indians who assume all Indians speak the same language, and it's called "Indian."

   Minor flaws aside, I did enjoy this book, and I highly recommend it. I learned a lot and loved looking at the pictures!




3. Another great holiday book from Rookie Readers! If only other book companies took time to write books about international holidays as much as Scholastic does.

2 comments about Devil's Arithmetic PMC 3.99 Promo (Puffin Modern Classics).

1. "The Devil's Arithmetic" is about a young girl named Hannah who doesn't want to go to her family's Passover seder. While in the seder, she is aked to open a door for a tradition her family does. When she opens it she goes back in time to 1942 during her Aunt Eva's time when she is known as "Chaya", and is put into a concentration camp and realizes why passover is so important. My favorite part of the book was when Hannah was in the concentration camp. During this section of the book, Hannah meets new people, learns new rules and trys to survive her new living. During this part also, Hannah trys escaping ending up seeing her "brother" Yithzack get shot by the guards. I reccomend this book to anyone who is interested in historical events (especially world war 2). This book could be very hurtful to you if you believe strongly in Judaism because a lot of the nazis make fun of and yell at the Jewish people. This book also has a good moral representing that being with family and celebrations are important. This book is the type of book you cannot put down and it is very exciting. All in all, this book is very understanding and exciting.



2. I read this book and I also own it. It is very good. If you are a fan of "The Diary of Anne Frank" and other Holocoust or WWII books, then you'll just love this book! the movie is really good too. Kirsten Dunst does an excellant job in it. Again, this book is worth buying, or at least checking out of the local library!

4 comments about When the Chickens Went on Strike (Picture Puffin Books).

1. although i haven't rad this book, yet it seems like one which you can have fun with because of it's characters yt you can get the moral of the story as well. you can also see a different perspective of how people think. i have heard many good things about this book and anyone who has time for a "fun/learned" read, shouls give this a try



2. Being a new grandfather, I am getting back into books for children. The story is important, of course, and this is a cute story about a fascinating and rather esoteric bit of Jewish tradition...good as well as instructive for the children. But what makes this book are the illustrations! They grab you in the bookstore and make you want to buy the book. They wonderfully illustrate the simple little story, giving it depth and character that will fascinate the children long after the words are finished. Trueman's wonderful colors and technique give the characters life, despite a certain stylistic stiltedness that he obviously chose to accomplish his purposes with the book. Buy the book for the story, yes. But certainly buy it for the pictures!! Your kids or grandkids will have a ball...and so will you!



3. I loved this book. Not only did I learn a rather obscure & bizarre jewish tradition, I fell in love with the wonderful illustrations!
   Though I am a christian, I will enjoy sharing this book of jewish life and practice with my grandkids. A wonderful & culturally rich tale with delightfully engaging illustrations!



4. This is a nice story book about a Jewish boy in Eastern Europe trying to behave in synagogue and gets kicked out by his father. He needs to perform his kapores with his village using chickens. The chickens object to the treatment and ask for the tradition to be changed. What to do? How will kapores be performed?