Among Spain’s secret Jews—conversos—were well-educated merchants and professionals who worked and lived within the medieval Catholic society yet found ways to clandestinely practice their forbidden, ancient faith. When Don Fernando, the conductor of Barcelona’s Royal Orchestra, himself a converso, plans a new concert for the nobility, he devises a way to include a piece sporting exotic instruments made by the natives from the New World. It is fall and just in time for Rosh Hashanah, so with son Rafael’s bold complicity, the shofar, or ram’s horn, is included to sound the four distinct notes that usher in the Jewish New Year. Basing her tale on legend, Greene provides a smooth, suspenseful view into a rarely depicted portion of Jewish history, when Jews led a dual life and managed to maintain their Judaic rituals by blending in or hiding their beliefs and traditions, sometimes in plain sight. Chayka’s deep, opaque paintings reflect an upper-class, dark-haired Iberian society juxtaposed with the Judaic rituals of the Rosh Hashanah meal. (introductory, author’s notes) (Picture book. 6-10)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-8225-9915-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Spirin illustrates excerpts from the King James Bible in a luminous Italian Renaissance style. A haloed Jesus is the bright light among the ghost-like masses; only he and the angels shine in the dark city next to texts from Matthew, Luke, and John. The subtle palette is enhanced by the detail in gilded armor, jeweled costumes, city buildings, and agrarian landscapes. This book serves as an artful introduction to the popular Bible stories, with appeal for those fond of ornate, formal treatments. (Picture book. 5-10)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8050-5052-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Seymour (Our Neighbor Is a Strange, Strange Man, p. 71, etc.) tells an enchanting story about a battle of wills between Farmer Puckett’s wife and Jake Johnson, the new mule that Farmer Puckett bought to pull his wagon of fireworks to the town’s Independence Day social. “Trouble was, when Jake Johnson got to Farmer Puckett’s yard, the mule liked the place so much he sat down. And he would not get up.” Mrs. Puckett declares that the mule will move if he gets hungry enough, but she’s wrong; a month later, as the Fourth of July approaches, Farmer Puckett is getting nervous, knowing that no one in town will ask him to hire the fireworks again if he fails this time. A fire under the mule forces Jake Johnson to move just a little, leaving the fireworks over the flame, and resulting in the best display the town has ever seen. It’s a mischievous tale, if readers can get past the mistreatment of animal, humans, and property that is part of most scenes. Take it as a tall tale, and watch the fireworks fly. (Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7894-2563-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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