Part of the National Geographic Holidays Around the World Series, this is an excellent introduction to the High Holidays for young children and their families. Pages filled with colorful pictures of Jews around the world celebrating Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur accompany simple explanatory text describing these holidays. At the back of the book, “More About Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur” contains detailed facts, a recipe, resources for more information, a glossary and other important information for the reader.

Overall, this is a wonderful book for those looking for an easy introduction to the Days of Awe. Alternatively, for those with young children who just want a simple explanation for what goes on at the beginning of the Jewish year. This can also serve as a wonderful resource for teachers to show that Jews live all over the world and have different customs for the same holidays.

Grade Level: K-3

©2010 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
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© 2009, KarBen Publishing.

The author looks to a Sephardic legend for this well-written story about a Spanish converso (secret Jew) who cleverly enables his secret community of Jews to hear the sound of the shofar at Rosh Hashanah. Set in Barcelona, during the Spanish Inquisition, Ms. Greene creates a story that makes it possible for us to feel the tension, sadness and fear within the underground Jewish community.  She allows us to celebrate with great relief when father and son triumph over the Duke and the judges of the Inquisition by “hiding the shofar in plain sight.”

The illustrations are excellent and convey the depth of emotions that run from page to page throughout this story. The pictures are very expressive and admirably portray the Spanish community of the times.  This would be an excellent addition to the High Holiday section of the library especially in communities with a Sephardic Jewish population.

Grade Range: 1st – 4th Grades

©2010 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
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© 2010,  Alfred A. Knopf.

Teach Them to Your Children.  Richard Michelson has written another excellent piece of historical fiction, this time about the “forced busing” of black students into white schools during the 1970s. Using a minimum of words and supported by the 70s-style ink and watercolor collages of R.G. Roth, he manages to convey the powerful emotions of those times as parents did what they felt best for their children and their children did their best to cope with the situation in which they found themselves.  More than a history book, however, it is also about the messages we adults send children.

Brewster’s mama believes that Brewster could be president someday. She knows that in order for that to happen, he will need the best education possible. She decides that he and his brother, Bryan, will receive a better education at a white school outside of the city, a one-hour bus ride away. Bryan is not happy, but Brewster knows that learning to read will make his mama happy, so he goes with the plan. Mama wakes up early to make breakfast and is waiting when Brewster comes home from school.

The bus’ arrival at the new school causes parent demonstrations outside and student misbehavior inside. Brewster and Bryan find themselves in the school library serving detention with a freckle-face boy who wants to start a fight before the first bell rings. Brewster befriends Miss O’Grady, the school librarian, who quickly concludes that he has the heart and determination to be anything he wants to be (which happens to be President of the United States.) Miss O’Grady supports Brewster’s dream with a story about John F. Kennedy:

“It wasn’t long ago that folks didn’t want the Irish in their schools. And just because Kennedy was Irish Catholic, people said he’d never be president. But he proved them wrong.”

In the meantime, Bryan and Freckle-face are laughing and whispering in the background. It appears that race has been put aside and a friendship is forming, at least until the school day ends and the children walk outside. That is when Brewster overhears Freckle-face’s father say, “Wish them coloreds all stayed at Franklin.” Teach your children well, indeed.

Rich Michelson not only gives us a view into a difficult time in American history, but provides a broader lesson as well. If, as parents, it is our responsibility to teach our children right from wrong, if they believe all that we say and act as we do, then our burden and the burden on our teachers and all those who interact with our children is a heavy one. All our actions have consequences, whether they lead to raising a child who goes on to become the first black President of the United States or one who grows up to become an intolerant, insensitive bully.

As our world becomes increasingly more diverse and our society more global, our responsibility as parents (and the support we must extend to their teachers) is to teach our children to achieve their highest potential while exploring and embracing all of the world’s cultures in as open and gracious a way as possible. That is the message I got from reading this short history of a  difficult time in America. I encourage you to read it as well.

Grade Level: 1^st-5th

©2010 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
The Book used in this review is from my personal collection.
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Caitlin is in Fifth Grade when her older brother, Devon, is shot and killed during a school shooting.  Caitlin has Asperger’s Syndrome, and Devon was the one person in the world who could help her navigate life’s difficulties and do things “the right way.” Everyone is trying to help Caitlin and her father cope with their situation, but the situation is deteriorating. When Caitlin hears that what she needs is “CLOsure” she looks it up in the dictionary. She understands that “CLOsure” is exactly what she and her father need, and she sets out on an unrelenting path to find it.

In this remarkable book, we are once again (see Marcelo in the Real World) taken into the mind of an individual with AS to view how the world is seen through their eyes. Written in first-person, as if the reader were inside Caitlin’s head, seeing the world through her eyes, listening to the taunts of her classmates, the counseling from her teachers and her hopes that things will work out for herself and her father. We hear her thoughts of confusion, helplessness and hopefulness as she remembers her brother and uses him as inspiration to guide her toward a solution to the problems she is facing.

From Caitlin’s point of view, you wonder how people can get it so wrong.  Her thinking is remarkable, logical and clear. It is no wonder she has a “meltdown” now and then. Remembering that we, with our total lack of understanding, are most often on the outside looking in at AS individuals, this book provides an unparalleled and unique view of their thought processes.

At once irritating, frightening, poignant and hopeful, your heart will want to reach out to Caitlin and her father as you follow their difficult journey from unfathomable pain to triumphant healing. This is a must read for teachers, schools or classrooms who work with or around AS students.

Grade Level: 4th – 8^th

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Marcelo Sandoval is 18-years-old and making plans for the summer between his junior and senior year at Paterson High School, a special preparatory school for children with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome (AS). Looking forward to working as the stable man at Paterson, in charge of caring for the special herd of horses that work with the students there, Marcello is devastated to learn his father has other summer plans for him.

Arturo Sandoval, Marcelo’s father, is a high-powered lawyer running his own firm. He is convinced that all Marcelo needs, in spite of his very clear Asperger’s symptoms, is some time in the “real world” interacting with “real people” and everything will be fine. Arturo challenges Marcelo to join him at his law office for the summer, working in the mailroom. Arturo proposes: “If you [Marcelo] work at the law firm this summer, then at the end of the summer, you decide whether you want to spend your senior year at Paterson or at Oak Ridge High [the local public school].  You can do what you want in the fall…But this summer you must follow all the rules of the…real world.” (p.20)

As Marcello, who desperately wants to return to Patterson, takes his father’s offer, the reader gets an insider’s view of what it is like to have high-functioning AS. The writing is exceptional, so outstanding that it is difficult to put the book down.  This is a true coming-of-age story as Marcelo tries not to make a misstep while he determines exactly what is going on in the dog-eat-dog world of the lawyers’ office. Fortunately, he is naïve, innocent or literal enough to know right from wrong, good from evil and that “no” is the correct answer, even when he may not understand why.

The supporting cast of characters is of particular interest in this extraordinary novel. Of course, Marcelo’s father, Arturo, and his mother, Aurora, who play “bad-cop/good-cop” in helping Marcelo manage his life. Jasmine, the Mailroom Supervisor, whom Marcelo must work for over the summer, enters as an unhappy participant, but serves as a wonderful gardener nurturing Marcelo in his growth in “the real world.”

A special note has to be shared about Rabbi Heschel (no relation to Abraham Joshua Heschel), who serves as Marcelo’s chaplain/counselor. Marcelo’s “particular pervasive interest” is God. While he and his family are Catholic, and he attends church, prays the Rosary in Spanish and is memorizing the Psalms, when he has specific questions, he sees Rabbi Heschel who discusses them with him. Of course, his time in “the real world” generates some interesting queries. The presence of Rabbi Heschel, a female Reform rabbi, provides a wonderful moral grounding for some of the difficult issues dealt with in this novel.

Along with this group, there are the villainous, “wolves in sheep’s clothing,” trying to prey on Marcelo’s innocence and test his loyalty and moral acumen. Wendell Holmes, Arturo’s partner’s son, will rank high on my list of detestable characters for a very long time.

Unfortunately, Marcelo in the Real World was not a title reviewed by the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee. I assume the publisher did not see it as “a Jewish Book.” In my mind, however, it is an excellent example of the role our clergy can play in “the real world” supporting teens, serving as counselors during difficult life situations, interpreting scripture in the light of modern times.

Grade Level: 9^th – 12^th

©2010 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
The book used in this review is part of my personal collection.
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© 2009, Frances Lincoln Children’s Books

Dan Bernstein’s family moves to a small town far outside of London, and he faces a number of lifestyle changes. None, however, challenges him as much as the blatant anti-Semitism of the class bully, Steve, or so he thinks. When his class project on long-distance running, turns into something quite different and totally out of his control, Dan begins the rare and strange adventure back through time and Jewish history that is at the core of this fascinating and engaging novel.

What Dan creates by hand and almost unconsciously is a golem. Actually, not any golem, but The Golem, the legendary 16^th century Golem created and brought to life by Rabbi Judah Loew in Prague, Czechoslovakia (although in the book, the Rabbi’s name is Rabbi Loeb.) The Golem takes Dan along – back in time – to witness and assist in a variety of situations where Jews are at risk. The result of these “trips” and Dan’s modern day confrontations with Steve, result in a class project that is as full of impact as it is memorable for all concerned. It should be noted that Dan’s friend Lucy manages to secretly “join” him on these trips.

The only shortcoming in this powerful little book is the small sermonizing at the end when Rabbi Loeb arrives to remind Dan and his friend, Lucy, that they must “follow the path of peace,” and that “In Bosnia, in Rwanda, in Darfur, the vulnerable have been attacked mercilessly.” The author had made the important points clearly in the way he wrote about Dan’s handling of his many experiences, the reactions of the class to Dan’s (and now Lucy’s as well) presentation and the response of the school to all they saw and heard. That was powerful enough, no further proselytizing was necessary.

Grade Level: 4th – 8^th

©2010 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
The Book used in this review were provided by the publisher cited.
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© 2009, Disney-Hyperion Books.

In 1958, Mao Tse-Tung declared a war on four pests – rats, flies, mosquitoes and sparrows.  SPARROWS? Why, sparrows? Because sparrows ate grain and the population of China was starving. Sparrows were declared enemies of the people and a massive campaign was waged to eliminate them from the countryside so that the grain could be saved, planted, harvested and eaten by the human population.  Literally every peasant man, woman and child had to be outside banging pots, pans, lighting fire crackers anything to frighten the birds causing them to die on the spot of a heart attack or to fly away and die from exhaustion. When the birds were almost entirely eliminated, it was discovered that they ate more insects than grain. By then, it was too late to change course and locusts and other insects overran the country decimating the fields and the harvest and causing a famine in China that killed over 30 Million people.

Sparrow Girl is the story of Ming-Li, a child who refused to listen to “the Great Leader”  following her heart instead. The story, told as a folktale, yet based on true incidents, is powerful and full of emotion. The reader aches with Ming-Li and the sparrows, feels the change of heart in her brother as he realizes the real consequences of what he is doing when his pet pigeon dies during “the war” and rejoices in the elders wisdom when they appreciate what Ming-Li has done. Beautiful illustrations capture the dark, rough peasant village, the dismal task they were set and all the emotional upheavals previously described.

The message of this powerful picture book:  all actions have consequences. Even the “lowly” sparrow has an important role to play on this earth. As Midrash Ecclesiastes Rabbah (§1 on 7:13) says: “See to it that you do not spoil and destroy my world, for if you do, there will be no one else to repair it.”

Grades 1^st- 4th

©2010 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
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© 2010, Albert Whitman & Company.

One large oak tree stood at the back of Oak Lane School. Mr. Tate wants his class to plant some more oak trees, but before they do, he asks them to listen to the big tree’s story. As they stop and hug the tree, the class hears the animals that make the tree home. They also learn about the wonderful things trees do for the environment, the names of trees and the many ways animals and humans use trees. Once Mr. Tate feels the children understand trees better, that “trees count,” he allows them to start planting their ten baby oak trees.

The story’s text is simple and uses the concept of counting to ten as a way to see and understand the importance of trees in our world. The illustrations are stunning, created as collages of found papers, acrylic and watercolor paints, their colors are alive and warm.

The children of the class are of every ethnicity and race, which makes for the one issue in this almost perfect book. It is found in a short, simple sentence: “’What about Christmas trees?’ Jake asked./ ‘Those are fir trees,’ Mr. Tate said./‘They stay green all year long’.” The picture of the “Christmas tree” is plain – no decorations – just an evergreen pine tree. Jake is depicted with a candy cane in his hand. Given the multicultural nature of the class and the lack of Christmas decorations on the tree, it could almost be overlooked. I wonder why it had to be included at all? The book would be absolutely perfect for any classroom, Jewish or otherwise, without it. Nevertheless, it is there, and I feel an obligation to point out.

Perhaps you would use this for an Earth Day celebration rather than Tu B’Shevat to demonstrate how the entire world knows and celebrates what the Jewish people have known for thousands of years. Trees Count!

Grades K – 3^rd

©2010 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
The Book used in this review were provided by the publisher cited.
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© 2010, Albert Whitman & Company.

Abby is sad because she and her family are leaving her grandmother in America and making aliyah (literally,going up) to Israel. However, from the start, Abby and her grandma stay in touch by letter, telephone and internet as Abby shares her feelings and describes everything she is seeing, learning and doing in Eretz Yisrael/the Land of Israel. From the Western Wall to the Dead Sea and from eating falafel to riding camels, Abby gives her grandma a delightful tour of her new country. Throughout it all, Abby shares the new Hebrew words she is learning. Finally, on the day of the first rain in Israel, Abby’s savta/grandma comes for her first visit.

With language easy enough for a beginning reader, and entertaining enough for lap time reading, this is a wonderful story for the entire family. The illustrations, acrylic paint on Bristol board, are clear, colorful and depict Israel beautifully. My only critique is the picture of Abby’s classroom where the books are drawn as opening from left to right (English style) rather than right to left (Hebrew style). With as much excitement as Abby expressed with learning Hebrew, this small but significant over-site seemed to jump out at me.

Overall, however, with so few books available about modern Israel, and especially modern Jewish families returning to Israel, this is an excellent book to have on the shelf.

Grades K – 3^rd

©2010 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
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“What on earth is 6 million?” ask the kids, when Whitwell Middle School in Whitwell, Tennessee decided to begin teaching their students about the Holocaust. Six million is a number too big to comprehend, so the class decides to collect six million paper clips in order to see just how big that number actually is. As they began seeking donations of this common office supply from their local community, then throughout their state, word gets out about their project. Soon it becomes a nationwide and eventually a worldwide endeavor! As their local project turns into a worldwide effort to collect 6 million paper clips then 12 million paper clips, two German reporters take up their cause and begin to assist them in creating an extraordinary Children’s Holocaust Memorial in their small Tennessee town complete with an actual railroad car that was used to transport Jews to the Nazi death camps. An amazing and powerful story about teaching tolerance.

Grade Level: 3^rd-6th

©2010 Kathleen M. Bloomfield and forwordsbooks.com all rights reserved.
The Book used in this review was provided by the publisher cited.
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