cover image Sharing Blessings: Children's Stories for Exploring the Spirit of the Jewish Holidays

Sharing Blessings: Children's Stories for Exploring the Spirit of the Jewish Holidays

Rachel Musleah, Rahel Musleah. Jewish Lights Publishing, $18.95 (64pp) ISBN 978-1-879045-71-2

In this beautifully told and illustrated book about Jewish holidays, writer Musleah and her husband, Rabbi Michael Klayman, offer stories about the ways in which the meanings of those special holy days may be incorporated into everyday life. The book is divided into 13 chapters, each of which focuses on a particular holy day and its meaning. Thus, for Shabbat, the meaning is ""family""; for Simchat Torah, the meaning is ""joyousness."" Each chapter tells a story about how two children, Ilana and David Kedner, come to realize the meaning of a particular holy day. Thus, on Yom Ha-atzma'ut, when the focus is on the community of Israel, the family hears Ilana describe how she has marched that day with her class in a parade for Israel. She learns the meaning of community and tells it to her family. The soft watercolor drawings are bright and, with their inviting colors, draw the reader into Ilana and David's family. Parents and children could not find a better place to begin to share the blessings of the holidays. Ages 6-10. (July)