Dance, Sing, Remember: A Celebration of Jewish Holidays [Library Binding]

Leslie Kimmelman (Author), Ora Eitan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 2000 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Hag Sameach! Happy Holidays!

Do you know what holiday to sound the shofar for? Or when to build a sukkah?

Now you can learn, in this celebration of eleven Jewish holidays, from Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, to Shavuot, the accepting of the Torah. There's even a section on Shabbat, the Sabbath. The meaning and story behind each holiday are explained. There are also activities, music, and recipes for adults and children to work on together.

Leslie Kimmelman has created a timeless Jewish treasury, and Ora Eitan's rich, stylized art perfectly captures the mood of each celebration.

Open the pages and discover that a whole year of Jewish holidays is beginning!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

From Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, in early fall, to Shavuot, celebrating the first harvest of the spring and the accepting of the Torah, Dance, Sing, and Remember offers an engaging, colorful introduction to the moods and meanings of a variety of Jewish holidays. Leslie Kimmelman invites readers to honor 11 of these special days by learning what each one is about and how it is observed. Kimmelman's warm, accessible writing provides enough background information for anyone--Jewish or not--who wants to understand why a sukkah (hut) is built in the backyard during Sukkot, or when the shofar (long, twisty horn) is blown, or how to play the dreidel (spinning top) game. Ora Eitan's unusual and appealing illustrations appear framed in white, and superimposed on full spreads of background color and patterns. Perhaps most intriguing of all is the two-page spread for Yom Hashoah, the sad and serious day in which Jewish people remember the Holocaust, the Shoah. Grainy gray turns to a solid black backdrop, with a small silhouette of a bird flying off a corner of the page. Most of the other illustrations are full of light and color, so this contrast is especially striking. Incorporating recipes, activities, music, and stories, this lovely picture book provides a window to the idea that "every holiday is a way of remembering, a way of connecting children to their parents and grandparents and to their parents and grandparents--all the way back to the very first Jews." (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-Visually delightful, thorough, and charming, this book is wonderfully written, simple yet informative, inviting children to learn about their heritage without overwhelming them. Kimmelman includes not only traditional religious holidays, but also those more recently developed such as Yom Ha-atzma'ut (Israeli Independence Day) and Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), which she handles with quiet sensitivity. Accompanying the explanation of each holiday is a supplemental activity or story that enhances the enjoyment and understanding of the day. However, what makes this book such a treasure are the richly toned, stylized illustrations, boxed in white and set against appropriately themed pastel wallpaper backgrounds. From the rabbi blowing the shofar on Yom Kippur to the little boy proudly reciting the Four Questions for Passover, each holiday is represented with clarity, playfulness, and warmth. A splendid choice for all collections.
Teri Markson, Stephen S. Wise Temple Elementary School, Los Angeles
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Library Binding: 48 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (October 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060277262
• ISBN-13: 978-0060277260
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,968,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great guide to Jewish holidays, June 28, 2001

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dance, Sing, Remember: A Celebration of Jewish Holidays (Hardcover)

"Dance, Sing, Remember: A Celebration of Jewish Holidays" is a book that is both enjoyable and educational. Although it is directed towards children, it is a good resource for all ages. Leslie Kimmelman's well-written text is effectively complemented by Ora Eitan's colorful, impressionistic illustrations.

The text covers the major Jewish observances: Rosh Hashahah, Yom Kippur, Yom Hashoah, etc. The name of each observance is given both in Hebrew characters and in English translation or transliteration. The text gives definitions of such relevant terms as shofar, sukkah, and latkes.

There is a lot of fun supplementary material: a recipe for harvest muffins, instructions on how to play the dreidel game, a retelling of the story of Jonah, and more. Eitan's illustrations are excellent: they range from the solemn to the whimsical. Overall, this is a good book for children of all religious and cultural backgrounds.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and Informative, November 28, 2000

By 

Amy (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dance, Sing, Remember: A Celebration of Jewish Holidays (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my five year old in order to help explain the significance of certain Jewish holidays. He thoroughly enjoyed it and it encouraged lots of great questions. The illustrations are wonderful and I learned a lot too! Highly recommended for any family as a great holiday book and reference book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Before you get too excited, January 2, 2007

By 

Knightley Emma - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dance, Sing, Remember: A Celebration of Jewish Holidays (Hardcover)

This is not a bad book. However, I was disappointed because I guess I misunderstood what "simple yet thorough" meant. This is very simple; it is for 4-8 year olds and they mean it. I didn't learn a whole lot and that's a lot of money to pay for a simple book. I don't believe this is a complete list of holidays. There is no month listed for the holiday! There was no explanation of the Jewish calendar and of how they calculate years. I'm pretty sure there was not an activity for each holiday, which was a big minus (I borrowed this from the library). (Side note: if your child has food allergies, you would end up with not many activities to do at all.) So instead of billing this as an activity-filled "thorough" book, I would say it would probably be a nice read-aloud to your child. You could probably find the same information online (which is what I plan to do with my children).