A thought-provoking historical “what if.”
An interfaith friendship takes center stage in this imagined origin story for one of Rembrandt’s biblical paintings.
The Dutch artist lived for years in the same neighborhood as a prominent rabbi, Menashe ben Israel. While scholars debate the extent of their interaction, in her backmatter Lehman-Wilzig asserts that they enjoyed a “close relationship” marked by a warm exchange of social invitations and mutual professional support. In this tale, Rembrandt attends Shabbat dinner at Menashe’s house, witnessing a traditional blessing in which the rabbi cups his hands over his children’s heads and recites a prayer. The ritual inspires Rembrandt’s Jacob Blessing the Sons of Joseph. Capturing the setting effectively, Barghigiani’s illustrations incorporate Dutch tropes—tulips, narrow row houses, paintings of ships—along with ribbons of color evoking an artist at work. Both text and illustration offer a pleasant vision of friendship between men of different religions. Young people unfamiliar with Rembrandt or the Bible story may not find as much import in the tale as adults, especially those who have a religious or art history background. Educators and caregivers might need to fill in some gaps, but Lehman-Wilzig’s backmatter (which includes images of Rembrandt’s work and photos of his home and studio in Amsterdam) serves as a solid starting point for doing so.
A thought-provoking historical “what if.” (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9798765620663
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: today
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
Innocuous adventuring on the smallest of scales.
The Mouse and the Motorcycle (1965) upgrades to The Mice and the Rolls-Royce.
In Windsor Castle there sits a “dollhouse like no other,” replete with working plumbing, electricity, and even a full library of real, tiny books. Called Queen Mary’s Dollhouse, it also plays host to the Whiskers family, a clan of mice that has maintained the house for generations. Henry Whiskers and his cousin Jeremy get up to the usual high jinks young mice get up to, but when Henry’s little sister Isabel goes missing at the same time that the humans decide to clean the house up, the usually bookish big brother goes on the adventure of his life. Now Henry is driving cars, avoiding cats, escaping rats, and all before the upcoming mouse Masquerade. Like an extended version of Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Two Bad Mice (1904), Priebe keeps this short chapter book constantly moving, with Duncan’s peppy art a cute capper. Oddly, the dollhouse itself plays only the smallest of roles in this story, and no factual information on the real Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House is included at the tale’s end (an opportunity lost).
Innocuous adventuring on the smallest of scales. (Fantasy. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6575-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
A life devoted to freedom and dignity, worthy of praise and remembrance.
With the words of Massachusetts colonial rebels ringing in her ears, a slave determines to win her freedom.
In 1780, Mumbet heard the words of the new Massachusetts constitution, including its declaration of freedom and equality. With the help of a young lawyer, she went to court and the following year, won her freedom, becoming Elizabeth Freeman. Slavery was declared illegal and subsequently outlawed in the state. Woelfle writes with fervor as she describes Mumbet’s life in the household of John Ashley, a rich landowner and businessman who hosted protest meetings against British taxation. His wife was abrasive and abusive, striking out with a coal shovel at a young girl, possibly Mumbet’s daughter. Mumbet deflected the blow and regarded the wound as “her badge of bravery.” Ironically, the lawyer who took her case, Theodore Sedgwick, had attended John Ashley’s meetings. Delinois’ full-bleed paintings are heroic in scale, richly textured and vibrant. Typography becomes part of the page design as the font increases when the text mentions freedom. Another slave in the Ashley household was named in the court case, but Woelfle, keeping her young audience in mind, keeps it simple, wisely focusing on Mumbet.
A life devoted to freedom and dignity, worthy of praise and remembrance. (author’s note, selected bibliography, further reading) (Picture book/biography. 5-8)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-7613-6589-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
