(3) K-3 Illustrated by Noa Kelner. “Shabbat is unique and beautiful for every person.” This picture book presents a spectrum of ways to spend the Jewish Sabbath, with inclusive representation in areas including skin tone, gender identity (a b’nai mitzvah ceremony for a nonbinary character), and types of observance, from avoiding the use of technology to playing guitar at services. The mixed-media illustrations are as warm and positive as the straightforward text. An author’s note and a glossary are appended.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Noa Kelner. This book is an expansion of a passage from the Talmud about Rabbi Hanina's experience getting caught in the rain. It reads very much like a folktale and focuses on the old man's interaction with animals, nature, and the Divine, and on the ultimate lesson of finding contentment and fitting in with the natural world. The text highlights Rabbi Hanina's one-sided conversation with the heavens while also providing details about the animals he sees and his internal emotional experience. While the illustrations in general are bright and whimsical, Hanina (and his long gray beard) comes across as serious.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth