Customer Reviews

A is for Abraham: A Jewish Family Alphabet (Sleeping Bear Alphabets: Cultures)

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This aesthetically designed multi-faceted book provides much more than a Jewish primer through an alphabet model. Michelson has developed a dual text through his poetic introductions to Jewish-themed subjects or traditions following a corresponding letter of the alphabet and his well-written prose expanding on each in a smaller font side-bar. Careful to justify and address his audience as one of a general population, he refers to his philosophy as "Judaism is a tree with many different branches, but all are nourished by the same roots...Like a choir sounds best when it blends different voices, / Jews should applaud Jews who've made different choices." In that respect, Michelson includes more than some of the usual aspects of Judaic principles, holidays, and role models to also introduce some less typical concepts. For example, on the letter "E" page, he represents Ellis Island, Emma Lazarus, and Albert Einstein, themes of Jewish American immigration and innovation. Mazellan's fluid, realistic paintings complete this beautifully, creating an excellent introduction to use as a springboard for many themes and concepts to Judaism's religious and cultural significance. - RITA SOLTAN - WEST BLOOMFIELD, MI

Sophisticated yet accessible and child-friendly, whimsical yet respectful, offering a multidimensional understanding of Judaism relatable to people of all ages and faiths, stunningly beautiful, and encyclopedically informative without being at all pedantic, "A is for Abraham" appears to be inexorably headed for greater national and international recognition. Richard Michelson's latest literary effort (he is also author of the much-honored "As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March Toward Freedom") was recently selected as a Book of the Month by the PJ Library -- a countrywide literary outreach project of the prestigious Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

"Abe" is a sparkling gem, holding the promise of becoming a genuine classic of American Jewish children's literature.

- Judy Polan, Excellence in Journalism First Place Award Winner
(CT Society of Professional Journalists)
Excerpt from review in the Jewish Ledger of Western Mass (Dec. 5, 2009 issue)