Archive for the ‘Jewish Holidays’ Category
Be Strong and of Good Courage/Ometz Lev
04/02/11
We are entering the Jewish month of Nissan, the month during which Jews and their families all over the world celebrate the holiday of Passover. At a special meal, the Seder, using a special book, the Haggadah, we retell the story of the Israelites’ miraculous escape from slavery to the Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh and recount their wandering in the desert as a free people. During the Seder, we are reminded that we must see ourselves as if we, each of us, personally went out of Egypt. As if we, each of us, personally were a slave and now we are free. As if we, each of us, personally, had been redeemed by the Holy One.
What I think about each Passover – OK, after the Seder invitations are out, the plague bags are decided upon and the menu is finalized…What I think about as I am putting together our Haggadah, is the amount of courage it must have required for the Ancient Israelites to pack up their families, what few possessions they had and to leave it all behind, for something they could not see or touch-freedom. And though we read several times in the Torah, that the people complained and may have wanted to go back, they never did. Freedom once tried cannot easily be returned.
This month’s book list honors the courage shown by our ancestors as they travelled out of their slavery and into freedom by providing a taste of that courage through the reading experience.
Younger Readers
Sheila Rae, the Brave. Written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes. Greenwillow Books, © 1987. Everyone knows that Sheila Rae is very, very brave. She giggles when the principal walks by, steps on sidewalk cracks, and rides her bike with no hands. One day, however, after deciding to take a different path home from school, she loses her way. Suddenly, she is not as brave as she thinks. Fortunately, she receives help from a very special source. Ages 4-8.
The Empty Pot. Written and illustrated by Demi. Henry Holt and Company, © 1990.
The Emperor of China is growing old and must chose a successor. He decides to give all the children in China a seed from his garden and tells them to grow it. Ping loves to grow plants, but no matter what he does, his seed does not grow. When all the other children bring pots full of beautiful flowers to share with the Emperor, will Ping have the courage to share his empty pot? Ages 4-8.
Nachshon Who Was Afraid to Swim. By Deborah Bodin Cohen. Illustrated by Jago. Kar-Ben Publishing, © 2009. Nachshon is a slave to the Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh. He is very brave, avoiding the Pharaoh’s taskmasters and spying for his people, until he is invited to swim in the water. Then he steps back. Nachshon is frightened by the water. When the slaves are freed from Pharaoh’s slavery and they find themselves at the Red Sea, however, someone must be the first to step in or the waters will not open. Who will have the courage to enter the sea first? Ages 5-9.
Mirette on the High Wire Written and illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully. 
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, © 1992. Winner of the Caldecott Medal. Mirette’s mother runs a boarding house for performers visiting Paris. One day, Mirette meets a very talented man who is practicing walking the tightrope in her backyard. He dismisses her requests to learn this skill. Nevertheless, she begins to teach herself. Seeing that she has talent, and determination, he begins her training. Mirette learns however, that he will not take her on the road with him, because he is very afraid after suffering an accident. Can she help him find the courage to return to show business? Ages 5-10.
Call It Courage. Written and illustrated by Armstrong Sperry. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, © 1940. Winner of the Newbery Award. Mafutu is the son of the great chief of a Polynesian clan that worships the sea and courage. However, he is afraid of the water because when he was a young child the sea took his mother’s life and almost his own. In this classic story, Mafutu becomes a legend when he decides to overcome his fear and take on the challenges of the sea. Ages 8-12.
Older Readers
Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword. Written and illustrated by Barry Deutsch. Amulet Books, © 2011. 
Winner of the Sydney Taylor Award for Older Readers. Mirka, an 11-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl, wants to fight dragons. In order to do that, she must find a sword. No easy task in the Ultra-Orthodox community where she lives. However with the help of her wise stepmother, a talking pig, a wicked witch and an evil ogre, Mirka achieves her dream. Ages 10-14.
The Breadwinner. By Deborah Ellis. Groundwood Books, © 2000. Parvana and her family are living in a one room apartment in a bombed-out neighborhood in Kabul, Afghanistan. Her father has been arrested for having a college education and is in prison. The only way for her mother, three siblings and herself to survive is for her to dress as a boy and earn a living on the streets. However, the consequence if she is caught…she does not want to think about, she must simply find the courage to do what must be done to survive. Ages 11-14.
The Storyteller’s Beads. By Jane Kurtz. Harcourt Brace & Company, © 1998. 
Due to war, famine and drought, Sahay, a Christian orphan girl, must leave Ethiopia immediately. For religious reasons, Rahel, a blind, Jewish Ethiopian girl is also leaving the country. When these two girls’ paths cross, they must overcome deep animosities toward each other in order that they may both achieve their dreams: Freedom in another country. Ages 11-14.
Homeless Bird. By Gloria Whelan. HarperCollins Publishers, © 2000. A National Book Award Winner. Koly, a 13-year-old Indian girl, is forced to marry a sickly boy. This is her fate. When he dies, she becomes part of an Indian widows’ community. When her talent for embroidery is discovered by the community’s benefactor and a new young man begins to take interest in her, will she have the courage to change the path tradition and fate have handed her? Ages 13-16.
The Boy Who Dared: A Novel Based on the True Story of a Hitler Youth. By Susan Campbell Bartoletti. 
Scholastic Press, © 2008. Not every German believed the propaganda that was fed to them during World War II. Some individuals did what they could to deliver a different message to the people. This is the story of one such individual who gave up his life for the truth. Ages 14-18.
* * * * * * * *
These titles provide a broad understanding of the value of Ometz Lev/Courage. As you sit at your Seder, whether at home or elsewhere, listen carefully as the Haggadah is read. If you hear a story, a song or a prayer that sounds like it is describing a brave, daring or courageous moment, shout out, “Ometz Lev. Courage!” Of course, others at the Seder may stare at you. That’s OK. You can share what you learned and the book you read later, during dinner. If you are looking for additional information about Passover including a free downloadable Haggadah, visit JewishBoston.com.
Wishing you a Passover season filled with fabulous food, fun and frogs,
Happy Reading,
Kathy B.
©2011 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
Books used in this review were from my personal collection and from my local public library.
I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you click on a book title referred to on my web site and purchase it from Amazon,
I may receive a very small commission on your purchase.
You will incur no additional cost, however.
I appreciate your support.
Book Review | Afikomen Mambo
by Rabbi Joe Black
Score: 3.5
Illustrated by Linda Prater Score: 3.5 © 2011, Kar-Ben Publishing. Once again, Rabbi Joe Black allows one of his songs to come alive in the pages of a book (Boker Tov! Good Morning!) Just in time for Passover, our children will be dancing to a Latin rhythm as they get ready for the Seder and [...]
Book Review | The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah
by Leslie Kimmelman
Score: 4.0
Illustrated by Paul Meisel Score: 4.0 © 2010, Holiday House, Inc. This charming retelling of the classic Little Red Hen story, has Ms. Hen trying to prepare for her Passover Seder. First, she needs to make her matzah. Seeking help from her barnyard friends for the planting, harvesting, milling and baking of the matzah gets [...]
Let’s Continue Reading for the Joy of It – Simcha/Joy
03/06/11
As Purim approaches (beginning the evening of March 19), and the costumes, hamantaschen and Purim Shpiel (play) rehearsals all come together, our anticipation and happiness seem to reach overwhelming proportions. That is why I chose Simcha/Joy as this month’s value.
I often feel that way when I am reading a really good book. With each chapter, I just can’t wait to read the next, to learn more about the characters, to see what they are going to do in the following pages. Sometimes I am up until the “wee” hours of the morning, because I just can’t put the book down. When I am finished, I feel so happy… until of course the next morning when I have to wake up and go to work. Nevertheless, I have a great story to talk about and share with my readers or students. Nothing could be better…until the next wonderful book falls into my hands.
My choices for this month’s books for older readers are the ones I could not put down. They made me laugh, made me cry or knocked me off my feet, but in the end, they kept me awake until the final page turn filled me with joy. I hope they do the same for you:
All-of-a-Kind Family. By Sydney Taylor. Illustrated by Helen John. © 1951, Yearling. The classic story of a family with five girls living in the Lower East side of New York in the early 1900′s. Their celebration of life in the face of sometimes bleak living conditions is a wonderful look at “seeing the glass half full.” Based on the author’s life. Ages 9-12 years.
The Importance of Wings. By Robin Friedman. © 2009, Charlesbridge.Publishing. 
Winner of the Sydney Taylor Award for Older Readers. With appealing and affecting writing, this novel grabs the reader immediately and takes you on a journey of self-discovery, confidence building and empowerment as Roxanne, with a small amount of help from her next-door neighbor Liat, discovers she has what it takes to be her own person. Ages 10-14 years.
A Pickpocket’s Tale. By Karen Schwabach. © 2006, Random House Books fro Young Readers.. In 1730, Molly Abraham is living in the streets of London following here mother’s death from smallpox. She supports herself by pickpocketing. Having been caught and tried in a court of law, she finds herself on a ship headed to America as an indentured servant. The ship arrives in New York, where she is ransomed by a Jewish family. In their household she learns how to be a good servant and a practicing Jew. Ages 11-15 years.
Confessions of a Closet Catholic. By Sarah Darer Littman. © 2005, Dutton. 
Winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award for Older Readers. Justine Silver has decided that for Lent she will give up being Jewish. This is just the beginning of her struggles with being the middle child, boys, chocolate and of course, religion. Ages 11-15 years.
Strange Relations. By Sonia Levitin. © 2007, Knopf Books for Young Readers. Winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award for Teen Readers. Marne simply wants a nice summer on the beaches in Hawaii visiting her aunt and cousins while her parents are travelling on business. What she gets instead is the discovery that her aunt and uncle run the Chabad House on the mainland of Hawaii, and she is expected to pitch in. Her experiences provide her with some new insights into her religious identity. Ages 14-18 years.
A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life. By Dana Reinhardt. © 2006, Wendy Lamb Books. 
Simone knows she is adopted and wants nothing to do with her birth mother. At her adoptive parents’ insistance, however, she agrees to meet her birth mother one time. What she discovers is both enlightening and tragic. Ages 14 – 18 years.
I certainly hope you do not stay up until the “wee” hours reading these titles, after all, a good night’s rest is most Important. If you do, however, email me at kathyb@forwordsbooks.com. I will be happy to send a note to your teacher/boss explaining why the book kept you up so late that you overslept and were late for school/work. Beware: You will first have to answer a question or two to prove to me that you read the book.
Have a delicious Purim!
Happy Reading,
Kathy B.
©2011 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
Books used in this review were from my own collection and my local public library.
I am an Amazon Affiliate. If you click on a book title referred to on my web site and purchase it from Amazon,
I may receive a very small commission on your purchase.
You will incur no additional cost, however.
I appreciate your support.
Book Review | The Queen Who Saved Her People
by Tilda Balsley
Score: 3.5
Illustrated by Ilene Richard © 2011, Kar-Ben Publishing The author who brought us the delightful, “Let My People Go!” has written a new Readers Theater style book based on the Purim story. For the very young, this is a perfect read-aloud version of the Book of Esther, told in rhyme with simple language and fun, [...]
