The Always Prayer Shawl [Hardcover]

Sheldon Oberman (Author), Ted Lewin (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

An ancient prayer shawl teaches Adam the importance of tradition and change in a story that spans six generations, from czarist Russia to the present day.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Oberman's ( Lion in the Lake ) simply told and moving story invokes the power of tradition. Adam is a Jewish boy growing up in czarist Russia, where his grandfather, also named Adam, teaches him the importance of Jewish beliefs and customs, stressing that "some things change and some things don't." Without distancing the reader, comparisons crystallize the differences between Adam's time and the present: "When Adam went for eggs, he did not get them from a store. He got them from a chicken. When Adam felt cold, he did not turn a dial for heat. He chopped wood for a fire." When Adam and his parents emigrate, Adam's grandfather gives his prayer shawl to the boy, who responds with a promise: "I am always Adam and this is my always prayer shawl. That won't change." In America, Adam learns to live, dress and speak differently. The prayer shawl changes, too--first the fringe is replaced, then the collar and finally the cloth. But, as Adam is to explain to his own grandson, "It is still my Always Prayer Shawl." As a tender conclusion brings Adam's spiritual life full circle, Lewin underscores the cyclical theme by picturing the grandson as very like the young Adam. His realistic watercolors dynamically depict the Old World in black and white, changing to color as Adam grows up, and his affecting portraits match the quiet passion of Oberman's prose. Ages 7-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-When Adam, a young boy growing up in Czarist Russia, emigrates to the United States with his family, his grandfather gives him the prayer shawl that his grandfather had given him. Throughout his life, Adam continues to wear and repair the shawl, hanging on to his grandfather's statement that "'Everything about it has changed. But it is still my Always Prayer Shawl. It is just like me. I have changed and changed and changed. But I am still Adam.'" He explains to his own grandson the story behind the shawl, and the young boy pledges to carry on the tradition of naming a son Adam and passing the heirloom on to him. The book effectively illustrates how different life was for a child growing up in Russia than it is for modern children. The major theme that some things change while others never do is worth exploring, but the story leaves little to the imagination and hammers the message home. Non-Jewish children may wonder what makes the prayer shawl so special; Oberman never explains its use in worship. Lewin's paintings feature gracefully drawn figures that look especially good at a distance. But at times, the pictures fail to convey the full range of emotion described in the narrative, such as in the scene in which Adam says good-bye to his grandfather. Additionally, it seems almost arbitrary that the black-and-white illustrations change to lushly colored watercolors when Adam becomes an adult. When books about family traditions, especially those of Jewish people, are needed, this one will suffice, with the help of an adult who can answer the anticipated questions.
Ellen Fader, Oregon State Library, Salem
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Boyds Mills Press; 1st edition (January 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878093223
• ISBN-13: 978-1878093226
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #288,256 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #72 in Books > Children's Books > Literature & Fiction > Religious Fiction > Jewish

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A moving celebration of famiy and religious tradition, September 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Always Prayer Shawl (Hardcover)

This is a beautiful, moving story that was a gift for our son on his bris. (It moved me to tears when I first read it.) Exquisitely illustrated and well-told, the story celebrates values, tradition, and intergenerational relationships. It will be a great conversation starter with our son, when he is older, about our own family history. It would make a great gift for a bar mitzvah or any occasion.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Bar Mitzvah Gift, January 3, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Always Prayer Shawl (Hardcover)

I got this as a pre Bar Mitzvah gift and at first I thought it wasn't what I wanted because I figured it was for younger kids but when I read it I felt it was for everybody, even people who aren't Jewish. It was a story about a person's whole life and how they change which was pretty neat to think about especially when you are having a bar mitzvah. My grandmother gave it to me because she said it was like her dad's life. It is sort of getting me ready for my bar mitzvah to think about the importance of tradition in your life

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The strength of prayer, September 9, 2001

By 

Alyssa A. Lappen (Earth) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Always Prayer Shawl (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

The bond of grandson and grandfather in this handsome and heart-warming tale about a Tallit is indeed good for people of all ages and all faiths--girls and women, boys and men. It tells of the undying human urge for freedom and fulfillment and reinforces the importance of prayer, and the strength of tradition and family. Alyssa A. Lappen