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(2)
K-3
Illustrated by
Vali Mintzi.
Osnat Barzani (1590–1670) convinced her father, a rabbi, to teach her to read Hebrew, unusual as that was for a girl at the time, and her curious mind embraced Jewish learning. In lyrical prose ("Osnat loved the shapes of the Hebrew letters. One looked like a mysterious animal, and another, a creeping vine"), Samuel spins the story of a woman who studied Torah throughout her marriage and took over her husband's yeshiva after his death. She incorporates the miraculous powers that some legends grant Barzani, mainly via a dove that she heals and that helps save the synagogue after a fire. Mintzi's striking, mostly full-bleed illustrations (often luminous "gouache colors in layers") show Osnat in the beautiful, sometimes dreamlike city of Mosul (in what is now Iraq). An author's note gives background on the legends Samuel used to inspire her account of the woman whose writings don't all survive, but who is "remembered locally as the first female rabbi and the first female Kurdish Jewish leader."
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2021
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Jeffrey Ebbeler.
"She made applesauce sweet / for a Hanukkah treat. / She made latkes yummy / and filled up her tummy." A rabbi celebrates the eight nights of Hanukkah with her family in this cumulative rhyming tale. Torah reading, brisket, the dreidel game, menorah lighting, and chocolate gelt are also part of the family's observance. Slightly exaggerated cartoon illustrations emphasize fun, faith, and tradition. This book will appeal most to those already familiar with holiday, which, "as we all know," helps us "...remember a miracle / from a long time ago." An appended paragraph provides some history.
32 pp.
| Behrman/Apples
| October, 2018
|
TradeISBN 978-1-68115-540-1$17.95
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Margeaux Lucas.
In 1930s Germany, women's roles were clearly defined and being a rabbi wasn't an option. But Regina Jonas charted her own path and became the first female rabbi. This powerful picture-book biography deftly addresses sexism, anti-Semitism, and changing societal attitudes. The muted illustrations depict Jonas as a powerful and inspiring figure. An afterword provides historical context.
160 pp.
| Chelsea
| January, 2004
|
LibraryISBN 0-7910-7866-3$$22.95
(3)
YA
Spiritual Leaders and Thinkers series.
The subjects of these report-oriented biographies of religious leaders will be of varying interest to young people. The feature that sets these apart from other biographies are the appended primary source documents in most of the volumes, including the text of Luther's Ninety-five Theses and the Dalai Lama's Nobel acceptance speech. Chronology, reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Spiritual Leaders and Thinkers titles: Martin Luther, Thomas Merton, Mary Baker Eddy, Aimee Semple McPherson, and Dalai Lama.
108 pp.
| Chelsea
| January, 2004
|
LibraryISBN 0-7910-7867-1$$22.95
(3)
YA
Spiritual Leaders and Thinkers series.
The subjects of these report-oriented biographies of religious leaders will be of varying interest to young people. The feature that sets these apart from other biographies are the appended primary source documents in most of the volumes, including the text of Luther's Ninety-five Theses and the Dalai Lama's Nobel acceptance speech. Chronology, reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Spiritual Leaders and Thinkers titles: Martin Luther, Thomas Merton, Mary Baker Eddy, Aimee Semple McPherson, and Dalai Lama.