Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah: The Ceremony, the Party, and How the Day Came to Be (Paperback)

~ Bert Metter (Author), Joan Reilly (Illustrator)
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This revision of Metter's 1984 book, Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah: How Jewish Boys and Girls Come of Age, describes a typical ceremony and explains how this custom began for boys during the Middle Ages and how it was adapted for girls beginning in 1922. He also discusses the recent custom of adult bar and bat mitzvahs and celebratory parties. The writing is clear and concise; ink illustrations (not all seen) help to break up the text and will be informative, especially for readers not familiar with these ceremonies. The sections detailing bar and bat mitzvah memories of the rich and famous (particularly their parties) will appeal to kids; those looking for a more spiritual view of this topic may prefer Eric Kimmel's Bar Mitzvah: A Jewish Boy's Coming of Age (1997) or its companion, Bat Mitzvah: A Jewish Girl's Coming of Age (1997), by Barbara Goldin Diamond. Appended with a bibliography, Web sites, and source notes. Weisman, Kay --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Clear and concise." Booklist, ALA

"[A] quick, short, easy-to-read introduction." Kirkus Reviews

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books, a division of Houghton Mifflin (August 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618767738
• ISBN-13: 978-0618767731
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,487,444 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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5.0 out of 5 stars Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah: The Ceremony, the Party, and How the Day Came to Be, March 19, 2008

By	Jewish Book World Magazine (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

Updating his 1984 book, Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah: How Jewish Boys and Girls Come of Age, Metter again traces the history and changing customs of this important ritual. Eric Kimmel's Bar Mitzvah: A Jewish Boy's Coming of Age (1997) and Barbara Goldin Diamond's Bat Mitzvah: A Jewish Girl's Coming of Age (1997) are more detailed and deal with religious meaning more directly, but Metter's work is concise, readable and enlightening, especially for those not already familiar with these observances. This new version reflects changes in our world over the past 23 years. Metter includes a stronger egalitarian voice and a new section on Judith Kaplan, the first modern bat mitzvah. He has eliminated using the male pronoun and bar mitzvah ceremony as the norm. Some borderline pedantic background information has been removed or made far more concise. He expanded prior mention of the trend toward adults becoming bar and bat mitzvah to a whole chapter and included more material on customs in other countries. Metter's revised chapter on celebrity memories of their own ceremonies has left politicians and Nobel prize winners out, focusing instead on younger film and TV actors, comics, and Olympic medal athletes. A brief discussion of sumptuary excess appears less judgmental than in his original earlier work. Both changes reflect an acceptance of today's realities. The final chapter is unchanged, however, emphasizing that the timeless significance of this ritual remains undiminished. Appended bibliography, B/W illustrations and, source notes, and websites. Rita Berman Frischer