Amit Magazine Summer 2006.qxd

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READING ROOM
Book It!
By Sari Steinberg
Julia’s Kitchen
by Brenda A. Ferber
(Farrar Straus Giroux, 2006; 160 pages; ages
10 and up; $16.00)
Brenda Ferber’s debut novel is about
a Jewish pre-teen overcoming tragedy
and reaching resolution. Eleven-yearold
Cara Segal grapples with the meaning
of God, family, and life as she
adjusts to the aftermath of a house fire
that took the lives of her mother and
sister. Cara’s father, absorbed in his
own mourning and guilt, expects Cara
to return to her old routine after the
traditional period of shiva. But Cara
finds it difficult to pull her life back
together. With the help of her best
friend and the tools provided by her
grandmother, Cara revives a part of herself
that she thought was lost forever.
Ferber boldly explores her relationship
with God as she relates the firsthand
fictional account in a young, very
genuine narrative voice.
This vivid and touching story
received the 2004 Sydney Taylor
Manuscript Award and is a Junior
Library Guild Selection.
Jacket illustration (c) 2006 by Pep Montserrat.
JULIA'S KITCHEN (c) 2006 by Brenda A. Ferber.
Used with the permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
A Grandma Like
Yours/A Grandpa
Like Yours
by Andria Warmflash Rosenbaum;
illustrated by Barb Bjornson
(Kar-Ben Publishing, 2006; 32 pages; ages 3-6;
hardcover, $16.95; paperback, $6.95)
Children will flip over this book! It’s a 16page
book called A Grandma Like Yours, with
another 16-page book called A Grandpa Like
Yours on the flipside. Your little listeners will delight in the shofarblowing
llama sabas, candle-lighting kangaroo savtas, flag-bearing zebra zaydes,
soup-serving grandma giraffes, and matzah-baking porcupine papas.
Barb Bjornson’s richly colored illustrations of smiling, affectionate, industrious
animals enliven every page.
For a chance at seeing your grandchild – or other youngster – featured in next
year’s My Very Own Jewish Calendar, submit a photograph (not returned) of
him/her celebrating a Jewish holiday to photocontest@karben.com or to Kar-
Ben, 241 First Ave No., Minneapolis, MN 55401. Include your name, address,
daytime phone, and email address; the child’s first name and age in the photo;
and a short description of the photo.
Izzy Hagbah
by JJ Gross; illustrated by Ari Binus
(Pitspopany Press, 2006; 40 pages; ages 6-9;
hardcover, $16.95; softcover, $9.95)
Izzy spoke a different language from
the other people in shul, and he dressed
different colors, and he wore a strange
yarmulke and a funny tallis. But he performed
the mitzvah of Hagbah – lifting
the Torah scroll – better than anyone
else. Hagbah became Izzy’s own honor for many years, even as his strong body
began to age. What would happen when he could no longer hold the Torah up?
He would never let anyone else do Hagbah….
Ari Binus contributes illustrations that seem to pop out of the pages, exceptional
facial expressions, and snapshot-like moments of exaggerated movement.
JJ Gross provides enough surprise twists to keep your child engrossed.
Sari Steinberg writes children's books (…And Then There Were Dinosaurs and King Solomon Figures It
Out), articles (the World Jewish Digest and the Chicago Jewish News), a variety of promotional literature
and lunch-napkin notes for her sabra daughter. She can be contacted at(SariScribe@aol.com).
AMIT Summer 2006 www.amitchildren.org