by David A. Adler ; illustrated by André Ceolin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2017
Uplifting.
Jacob makes a very difficult decision about his participation in his Little League team’s championship game.
Jacob plays second base for the Lions and has never missed a game. He is dedicated to his team and takes his coach’s philosophy of team spirit to heart. But the big game is to be played on Yom Kippur, the most holy day of the Jewish year. It is a day of fasting for adults, and the family will pray in the synagogue for the whole day. Jacob grapples with his problem for days and even brings his uniform to the synagogue. He prays for his family and friends and other, less spiritual things. He hears the rabbi speak of humanity’s interconnectedness and of the power of prayer and commitment. Although he heads for the game, he changes his mind and returns. Jacob narrates his own story in the immediate present tense, maintaining the suspense throughout. Jacob will appeal to young readers for his earnest and heartfelt solution to his problems. Ceolin’s softly hued illustrations depict a truly diverse community. Jacob’s family is dark-haired with pale skin, while the team has boys and girls of many colors. Even the Jewish congregation is a mixture from fair- to brown-skinned. Adler’s concluding note is a sweet homage to Jewish ballplayers who have had to make the same decision.
Uplifting. (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68115-521-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Apples & Honey Press
Review Posted Online: April 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2017
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by David A. Adler ; illustrated by Edward Miller
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by Laurel Snyder & illustrated by David Goldin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 24, 2010
The title says it all: When Baxter hears about Shabbat, when “the candles gleam and glow and dance while our sweetest voices lift in song,” from an old man at the bus stop, of course he wants to be part of it—but how? The young man he meets the next week tells him he can’t: “You’re not kosher!” In pursuit of kosher, Baxter eats kosher dills, pigs out on challah and teaches himself to moo. Finally a kindly rabbi leads him to the truth: “But,” she asks, “why would you want to get eaten?” She goes on, however, to explain that “[i]t is a mitzvah to welcome a stranger,” so Baxter gets to enjoy Shabbat after all. Goldin’s photo-collage illustrations present a suitably goofy-but-sincere cartoon pig dressed in a plaid button-down Oxford shirt and locate him in an urban neighborhood that features an imposing synagogue and a kosher deli. While Snyder's glossary glides a little irresponsibly over the precise meaning of "kosher," this will nevertheless find plenty of use in Jewish homes, particularly among families in which one parent is not Jewish. (author's note) (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 24, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-58246-315-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tricycle
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2010
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by Laurel Snyder ; illustrated by Dan Santat
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by Laurel Snyder ; illustrated by Emily Hughes
by Kate Kingsbury & illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2011
Kingsbury, a prolific author of Christian novels for adults, offers a story for younger readers about a courageous knight who competes to become prince of his homeland and heir to the throne. The competition pits four knights from different villages against one another as they face three challenges to test their speed, strength and intelligence. The dark-haired knight from the west village is introduced as a kind, hard-working young man who practices all these skills prior to the competition. His father encourages him along the way with comforting messages about God’s support. During the challenges each of the other knights cheats in some way to gain an unfair advantage, so the king chooses the deserving knight from the west village as the winner of the contest. The story is wildly predictable and not particularly interesting, although the methods of cheating are inventive. The biggest drawback to the text is the lack of individual names for the knights, who are identified only by their village’s direction, which leads to many repetitions of “the knight from the west village.” Grimard’s pleasant illustrations show a medieval world of castles, ornate costumes and flying banners. She depicts the winning knight as a serious young man who smiles only twice in the story, when he is carrying a little disabled boy who can’t walk properly. Earnest, but that's probably not enough to captivate readers. (Picture book/religion. 5-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-310-71645-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2011
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