Archive for the ‘Jewish values’ Category
Do the Right Thing, in the Right Way, and Often: G’milut Hasidim/Acts of Loving Kindness
10/01/11
As we continue to follow the text of the Eilu D’Varim prayer, this month we will focus on the second item in the list: G’milut Hasidim/Acts of Loving Kindness.
So important are these deeds that they are part of what, according to The Rabbis, is holding up the world: “The world stands on three things: Torah, Avodah (worship), and Gemiilut Chasadim (acts of loving kindness)” (Ethics of the Fathers/Pirke Avot, 1:2).
Acts of Loving Kindness/G’milut Hasidim are the actions we perform for others that require us to give a little bit of ourselves. They are activities we put some thought or effort into before, during and after we do them. We think about the people we are helping, the organization we are serving, or how exactly the money we are donating is going to help whoever we are giving it to.
Are we supposed to give until it hurts? Well not exactly, but we certainly should be aware that we are doing something important, not mindlessly going through the motions. We should be working, writing or acting with intention or kavannah.
The books I want to suggest to you this month, clearly demonstrate Acts of Loving Kindness filled with intention.
The Lion & the Mouse Written and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, © 2009 (ages 3-9) In this Caldecott Award winning, wordless picture book adaptation of the classic Aesop’s fable, a meek little mouse disturbs a resting lion. Unexpectedly, the lion lets the mouse go. When later, the lion is captured in a rope trap, the mouse repays the kindness by freeing the lion.
The Bear Who Shared Written and illustrated by Catherine Rayner. Dial Books for Young Readers, © 2010 (Ages 3-7) The plorringe is about to ripen. Norris, the bear, patiently waits as Tulip, the raccoon, and Violet, the mouse, touch and test the delicious fruit. Who will get the ripened fruit when it finally falls?
Rabbit’s Gift By George Shannon. Illustrated by Laura Dronznek. Harcourt, Inc., © 2007 (Ages 3-8) Winter is coming. When Rabbit finds two turnips, he is happy thinking he will be set when the snow comes. However, when he thinks about his friend Donkey, who is all alone, Rabbit decides to give his second turnip to her. But Donkey has plenty of food, so she shares with Goat, who shares with Deer, who shares with…As each animal thinks of another friend, they come to realize there is enough food for all of them to share what they have together.
Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed By Emily Pearson. Illustrated by Fumi Kosaka. Gibbs Smith, Publisher, © 2002 (Ages 4-8) Ordinary Mary changed the world by picking some ordinary blueberries from an ordinary bush, putting them in an ordinary bowl and setting them on Mrs. Bishop’s porch. Mary’s simple act sets off a chain reaction that sends a message of love to every person in the whole world.
God Said Amen By Sandy Eisenberg Sasso. Illustrated by Avi Katz. Jewish Lights Publishing, © 2000 (ages 5-9) The Kingdom of Midnight has plenty of water but needs oil to light their lamps at night. The Kingdom of the Desert has lots of oil but needs water for their garden plants. Unfortunately, the Prince of Midnight and the Princess of the Desert are both too proud to ask for what they need and too stubborn to give what they have without being asked. In the end, a simple act of kindness by two young people brings the two kingdoms together.
Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot: A True Story of the Berlin Airlift and the Candy that Dropped from the Sky By Margot Theis Raven. Illustrated by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen. Sleeping Bear Press, © 2002 (Ages 8-11) Mercedes and her mother are living in West Berlin during the Soviet blockade of the city in 1948. Food and fuel are scarce, but when Mercedes’ mother reads her a newspaper story about a Berlin Airlift pilot who is dropping candy for children out of his ariplane, Mercedes decides she must get some.
Love, Ruby Lavender By Deborah Wiles. Harcourt, Inc., © 2001 (ages 9-12). Ruby Lavender loves her grandmother, Eula. She has the exact opposite feelings about her schoolmate, Melba Jane. When Ruby is “abandoned” by her grandmother, who must leave their small town of Halleluia, Mississippi to visit a new grandchild in Hawaii, Ruby puts her loneliness and energy into raising her three chickens.
Maniac Magee By Jerry Spinelli. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, © 1990 (Ages 10-14). In this Newbery Award Winning book by a master storyteller, we read the legend of Jeffrey Lionel Magee. As with most legends, the lines between fact and fiction are a bit blurry. What is true, however, is that Jeffrey Lionel Magee left a definite impression on the town in which he lived.
Makeovers by Marcia By Claudia Mills. Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, © 2005 (Ages 11-15). Marcia is “overweight” by 5 whole pounds, is praying her 8th grade dream date will ask her to the fall dance and has just learned her art teacher thinks her drawing of a girl looks like “Barbie.” Things could not get any worse…until her Social Studies teacher assigns her to a community service project at the nursing home! What is she supposed to do with a bunch of old people?
Every Soul A Star By Wendy Mass. Little, Brown and Company, © 2008 (Ages 11-15). Three teens come together to witness a total eclipse of the sun and find that their lives are about to be changed forever.
Notes from the Dog By Gary Paulsen. Wendy Lamb Books, © 2009 (ages 13-16). Finn planned to spend the summer sitting at home, reading and not talking to any more than 12 people. That was until Joanna moved in to house sit next door. Joanna decided that Finn should plant a garden for her – in his back yard! But wait, there’s more…much more.
The Power of Half: One Family’s Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back. By Kevin Salwen & Hannah Salwen. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, © 2010 (ages 14-Adult). Seeing a homeless man and a person driving an expensive car at the same time on the same street corner triggers a life changing decision for one family. They will sell their house and give half of the profits to charity.
In order that each child reading these books will get the most from them, I created Speak Volumes: A Jewish Values Based Family Reading Program. Go to the Family Reading Program Section of my website, locate the October/Tishrei list of discussion questions and activities. Use these when reading together with your children to see and understand the value of G’milut Hasidim/Acts of Loving Kindness in each of these books.
Wishing you a wonderful Sukkot.
Happy Reading,
Kathy B.
©2011 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
Books used in this review came from my own collection or 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.
Apples Dipped in Honey for Rosh Hashanah
09/20/11
In one week, we will be celebrating the beginning of a new Jewish year. For many years, my family has welcomed in the New Year using the “Home Service for Rosh Hashanah” found in All About Rosh Hashanah by Judyth Groner and Madeline Wikler, Illustrated by Bonnie Gordon Lucas. ©1997 Kar-Ben Publishing. We light the candles, say the blessing over the wine, bless the round challah and then dip a slice of apple into honey and say the blessing for a sweet New Year. After all that, we begin our holiday meal.
As I think about preparing for this tradition, however, I am reminded that bees are in trouble all over the world. What if there was no honey for us to dip our apples in? Several new books have been published recently to warn of the bees’ plight and seek everyone’s help in looking out for them.
What’s the Buzz? Honey for a Sweet New Year by Allison Ofanansky. Photographs by Eliyahu Alpern. ©2011. Kar-Ben Publishing. Ages 4-9. In this companion book to Harvest of Light and Sukkot Treasure Hunt, the author and photographer take us on a visit to the Dvorat Havator Bee Farm and Education Center in Israel to learn how bees collect pollen to make honey and to see how it is processed into the food we eat.
The Buzz on Bees: Why Are They Disappearing? by Shelley Rotner & Anne Woodhull. Photographs by
Shelley Rotner. ©2010. Ages 6-10. Holiday House, Inc. In 2006, Dave Hackenburg, a professional beekeeper noticed that all of his hundreds of hives were empty. The bees were not dead, they had disappeared. This fascinating book explains why the vanishing of bees would be a terrible thing for the world. Bees do more than simply produce honey, they pollinate “one out of every three mouthfuls of food we eat.” That makes bees a pretty important insect.
The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe by Loree Griffin Burns. Photographs by Ellen Harasimowicz. ©2010. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. Ages 8-12. This captivating book, part of the Scientists in the Field Series, delves deeply into the disappearance of bees around the world and the scientific search into the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). You will be reintroduced to Dave Hackenburg, the professional beekeeper who first discovered this frightening problem and to the beekeepers, farmers, scientists and the many others who are pursuing the various leads to the potential causes of the problem.
Honey: A Gift from Nature by Yumiko Fujiwara. Illustrated by Hideko Ise. ©2006. Kane/Miller Book Publishers, Inc. Ages 3-6. This book, for the very young, looks at bees and how they make the honey we love so much. The language is simple and direct. The illustrations are beautiful and take on the colors of each season being discussed – the greens of spring, the warm yellows of summer, the autumn golds and reds, the greys of winter. Because it was published before its discovery, this book does not go into the bee problem. Nevertheless, for the very young, this is a perfect introduction to the wonders of how honey is made.
And with all of this honey, we should have some apples to dip it in, right?
One Red Apple by Harriet Ziefert. Illustrated by Karla Gudeon. ©2009. Blue Apple Books. Ages 3-8. Using simple language, this charming book takes us on a journey from picking apples to eating, to leaving some apples for the birds. Seeds fall, a tree grows – with a pull out page – and the cycle begins again. Karla Gudeon’s paintings are bright, bold, colorful and attractive. Pair this book with What’s the Buzz? Honey for a Sweet New Year or Honey: a Gift from Nature and you will have a lovely read-aloud time with your family for the New Year.
Wishing you and yours a sweet, healthy and book-filled New Year. L’Shanah Tovah Tikatevu – May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for a good year.
Happy Reading,
Kathy B.
©2011 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
Books used in this review came from my own collection, my local public library or the publisher as a review copy.
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.
“The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far”: Honoring One’s Parents/Kibud Av v’Em
08/31/11
As we explore Jewish values together this year, I will be using the Eilu d’varim prayer, “These are the obligations without measure…,” that is traditionally recited each morning as the basis for our study. That prayer contains a list of the ten most important actions a Jew can perform during her or his lifetime. First on the list is Kibbud Av va-Em/Honoring One’s Parents.
While searching for books that would be helpful, I came across a wonderful poem that fit the bill perfectly.
Seeds
You drew pictures of life
with your words.
I listened and ate these words you said
to grow up strong.
Like the trees, I grew,
branches, leaves, flowers, and then the fruit.
I became the words I ate in you.
For better or worse
the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Javaka Steptoe, In My Daddy’s Arms I AM TALL: African Americans Celebrating Fathers. Illustrated by Javaka Steptoe. ©1997. Lee & Low Books Inc.
With those words in mind, the following is a list of books for all ages to read and enjoy. To get the most out of reading these books, “For Values’ Sake,” go to the Family Reading Program Section of my website and find the September/Elul/Tishrei list of discussion questions and activities. Use these when reading together with children to reinforce your understanding of Honoring One’s Parents/Kibud Av va-Em .
Old Bear and His Cub. Written and illustrated by Olivier Dunrea. Philomel Books, © 2010. Ages 3-5. Old Bear and Little Bear love each other very, very much. Even though Little Bear doesn’t always want to listen to Old Bear, a gentle stare sets him in the right direction. When Old Bear doesn’t want to listen to Little Bear, he learns that his lessons have paid off in a very important way.
A Chair for My Mother. Written and illustrated by Vera B. Williams. Greenwillow Books, © 1982. Ages 4-6. A young girl, her mother and grandmother, lose everything when their apartment burns down. Despite the generosity of their neighbors who provide furniture and toys for their new apartment, what the girl longs for is a comfortable chair for her mother to sit in when she comes home from work.
The Emperor and the Kite. By Jane Yolen. Illustrated by Ed Young. Philomel Books, © 1988. Ages 5-8. Largely ignored, Princess Djeow Seow finds her inconspicuous nature and talent for kite flying to be of tremendous value to her father when he is kidnapped and shut away in a prison.
Winter Shoes for Shadow Horse. By Linda Oatman High. Illustrated by Ted Lewin. Boyds Mill Press, © 20
01. Ages 5-8. A boy watches his father as he shoes a horse in their blacksmith shop. When his father tells him it is his turn to put the last two shoes on the horse’s hooves, he cannot believe it. Slowly and carefully, he does the job, just as his father had taught him.
Brave Irene. Written and illustrated by William Steig. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, © 1986. Ages 6-9. When Irene’s mother falls sick and cannot take the ballgown she has made to the duchess, Irene takes it for her. In spite of a blizzard, she manages to get the dress where it belongs.
Papa’s Mark. By Gwendolyn Battle-Lavert. Illustrated by Colin Bootman. Holiday House Books, © 2003. Ages 6-9. Election Day is coming and Simms wants to be sure his Papa can write his own name on the ballot.
In Our Mothers’ House. Written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco. Philomel Books, © 2009. Ages 7-10. A special family with two moms shows a neighborhood that all families are the same when the house is filled with love.
The Janitor’s Boy. By Andrew Clements. Aladdin Paperbacks, © 2000. Ages 9-12. Jack Rankin leaves a huge w
ad of watermelon bubblegum under a desk to make the school janitor work hard for making him so angry.Unfortunately, the trick backfires and Jack gets caught. Now he has to work for the school janitor cleaning gum from under desks, and the school janitor is his dad!
Up a Creek. By Laura E. Williams. Henry Holt and Company, © 2001. Ages 11-14. Starshine Bott has had just about enough of her mother, Miracle’s, causes. This time she is living in an oak tree to protect it from being cut down. What is a daughter to do with such an embarassing mom?
Just Ask Iris. By Lucy Frank. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, © 200. Ages 11-14. Iris’ mother has left her father and moved to a new apartment building. It’s summertime and her mother wants Iris to stay inside and use an ancient program to learn to type. Iris tries, but decides to help out some of the neighbors instead.
Child of the Owl. By Laurence Yep. HarperCollins, © 1977. Ages 13-16. When Casey’s dad winds up in the hospital, she is sent to live with her Chinese grandmother in San Francisco. There she learns more about life, love and family then she ever expected.
Level Up. By Gene Luen Yang. Illustrated by Thien Pham. First Second, © 2011. Ages 13-18. In this extraordinary graphic novel, the son of immigrants is made to live up to his parents’ expectations that he become a doctor. When he rebels, his life takes some interesting turns.
I was honored to be given a grant by the Combined Jewish Philanthropies to write a monthly column about the Speak Volumes program for the CJP’s Family Connections Newsletter. You can sign up to receive this monthly newsletter, a great source of information for parents of young children, at the Combined Jewish Philanthropies’ website..
As you read and process these books, if you need any additional information, have questions or comments about the Speak Volumes program or are looking for a book for a specific need, please contact me at kathyb-at-forwordsbooks-dot-com.
Happy Reading!
Kathy B.
©2011 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
Books used in this review came from my own collection or 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.
Remember the Days…Zachor/Remembrance
05/01/11
Remember the days of old,
Consider the years of ages past;
Ask your father, he will inform you,
Your elders, they will tell you…
(Deuteronomy 32:7)
It is appropriate to focus on Zachor/Remembrance as the value for this month, since in and around the month of May/Iyar many new holidays were established to remember the Holocaust and the events leading to the founding of the state of Israel.
Jews are a remembering people. We love a Torah scroll written just as it has been written for thousands of years and read in exactly the same way in every synagogue on every Shabbat the world over. We place a stone on the gravesites of those we loved and revered, formerly to protect their place of rest, now as a statement of remembrance. The traditions, rituals and foods surrounding our holidays and life cycle events embed them deeply into our minds and those of our children. Judaism uses every means at its disposal to embrace the mind, the body and all the senses to make sure we implant a concrete memory of whatever we are doing firmly into our souls.
This list of books speaks to the need to keep our important memories alive. Whichever title you or your children decide to read, you will capture a sense of the importance of zachor/remembrance.
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge By Mem Fox. Illustrated by Julie Vivas. © 1985. Kane/Miller Book Publishers. With the assistance of his family and friends and using items he collects from all around, Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partidge helps his friend Miss Nancy get her memory back. (Ages 4-8)
The Name Quilt By Phyllis Root. Illustrated by Margot Apple. © 2003. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 
Sadie loves to hear the stories about all the people whose names are part of the name quilt on her grandmother’s bed, but one day the quilt is blown away in a terrible windstorm. How will they remember all those stories now? (Ages 4-8)
The Keeping Quilt Written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco. © 1998. Simon & Schuster Books. for Young Readers. A beautiful quilt is passed down from one generation to the next as it is used for births and birthdays, weddings and deaths in a family.(Ages 4-8)
The Rag Coat Written and illustrated by Lauren Mills. © 1991. Little, Brown and Company. 
A young Appalachian girl needs a coat in order to attend school. When the Quilting Mothers create a coat of clothing scraps, the school children laugh at her. Until she tells them the stories of each piece of cloth. (Ages 5-9)
Listen! By Stephanie S. Tolan. © 2006. HarperCollinsPublishers. This summer, twelve-year-old Charley must recover from an accident but also from the loss of her mother. When a strange dog appears, Charley feels she must follow it, even into the woods that hold the memories of her mother she most wants to forget. (Ages9-12)
Eleven By Patricia Reilly Giff. © 2008. Wendy Lamb Books. 
Sam has been having strange dreams of escaping from castles. Then he finds a box in his grandfather’s attic that makes him think he may have been kidnapped. Is any of this possible? Who can help him? (Ages 10-14)
The Giver By Lois Lowry. © 1993. Houghton Mifflin Company. Twelve-year-old Jonas receives his Lifetime Assignment fom the Elders. He is to become the receiver of memories. He will carry the memories of the entire community which he will receive from the Giver. (Ages 11-14)
I Am the Cheese By Robert Cormier. © 1977. Dell Laurel Leaf. 
Adam Farmer is trying to discover who he is and the more he dsicovers the more complex his life is becomig. (Ages 12-16)
Someone Named Eva By Joan M. Wolf. © 2007. Clarion Books. After her town is destroyed by the Nazis, Eleven-year-old Milada is separated from her family, her name is changed to Eva and she is taken to a school where she is trained to be a perfect German. She is then adopted by a German family. Based on true events from WWII. (Ages 12-16)
Broken Memory By Elisabeth Combres. Translated by Shelley Tanaka. © 2007. Groundwood Press. A young Tutsi girl survives the brutal Rwandan genocides, then goes on to remember and heal from the pain of the experience. (Ages 14-18)
I have prepared a list of discussion questions and activities that parents and/or teachers can use when reading these books together with children to reinforce the value of zachor/remembrance and learn together about the need to keep family memories from being lost. If you would be interested in using this material, please see the Family Reading Program Section of my website for May/Iyar. May your memories of the month of May be filled with bright sunshine and spring flowers.
Happy Reading,
Kathy B.
©2011 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
Books used in this review came from my own collection or 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.
To Till it and Tend it – Earth Day 2011
04/22/11
All that we see –
The heaven, the Earth, and all that fills it –
All these things
Are the external garments of God.
Rebbe Shneur Zalman (1745-1812), The “Alter Rebbe”
Happy Earth Day 2011! Although I am still in Passover mode, today is the perfect opportunity to share a few of the latest “Green Books” that have come across my desk in the past few weeks:
Can We Save the Tiger? By Martin Jenkins. Illustrated by Vicky White. ©2011. Candlewick Press. In this exceptional book, Mr. Jenkins shares the stories of animals teetering on the edge of extinction as a result of human behavior. He gives us the choice of saving these beautiful creatures or having them disappear forever. Ms. White’s stunning pencil and oil paint illustrations support his efforts to see these animals as masterpieces of God’s creation. Can the loss of these species be any less devastating than losing works by Picasso or Michelangelo? (Ages 6-11)
Dear Tree by Doba Rivka Weber. Illustrated by Phyllis Saroff. ©2010. Hachai Publishing. 
In this endearing story, a young boy writes a New Year’s (Tu B’Shevat) letter to his tree wishing it all good things for the year to come. The lovely illustrations show, in detail, exactly what the boy hopes the tree receives – sunlight, rain, birds, bees, strength, etc. The boy promises to take good care of his tree and knows, in return, the tree will provide fruit and shade. As appropriate for Earth Day as for Tu B’Shevat. (Ages 3-8)
Gabby & Grandma Go Green written and illustrated by Monica Wellington. ©2011. Beginning with sewing the bags they will use to go shopping, Gabby and her grandmother shop at the Farmer’s Market, walk to the park, recycle their plastic bottles and newspapers and check out Earth Day books at the library. Instructions for making cloth bags and many “Green Tips” accompany the simple text. The brightly colored pictures are a collage of cut-out photographs and gouache on paper artwork. (Ages 3-7)
A Grand Old Tree written and illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma. ©2005. Arthur A. Levine Books. 
The life cycle of trees is explained in this marvelously simple yet eloquent book. The bright, colorful tissue paper collage illustrations show a tree filled with life, branching out, creating new trees and finally aging until it’s branches wither back into the earth where it gives life to another generation of trees. (ages 3-7)
Let the Whole Earth Sing Praise illustrated by Tomie dePaola. ©2011. G.P. Putnam’s Sons. Inspired by Psalm 148, this exquisitely illustrated book is a beautiful prayer for Earth Day and every day. Whenever you want to appreciate the world we live in and renew your pledge to work toward repairing all the harm that has been done to it in recent years, simply pull this book off the shelf. (all ages)
Who Will Plant a Tree? By Jerry Pallotta. Illustrated by Tom Leonard. ©2010. Sleeping Bear Press. 
An amazing fact of nature is the different ways seeds have found to disperse themselves. Some seeds have developed burrs to stick to the fur coats of black bears, others have tough coverings to withstand being coughed up by an owl or pooped out by an elephant, and even others have developed parachutes to float in the wind. Whatever it is seeds find their way around the environment in a variety of interesting and wily ways. Using simple language and extraordinarily beautiful illustrations, this book for young readers makes it clear that from horses to humans, we all have a role in planting trees around the world. (Ages 4-8)
Any one of these books will enrich and enlighten your Earth Day experience. Most importantly, however, go out and enjoy this beautiful day. Take a walk. Plant a tree. Whatever you do, make sure you honor the earth and everything in it.
Happy Reading,
Kathy B.
©2011 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
Books used in this review were provided by the publisher, my local public library or are from my own collection.
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.
