It's Israel's Birthday! [Library Binding]

Ellen Dietrick (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS—This entry in the "It's Time" series of Jewish holiday photo-essays is a charmer. Adorable preschoolers, including children of Asian and African descent, take a pretend trip to Israel to celebrate Israeli Independence Day, a common practice in Jewish schools across North America. From the imaginary plane ride on a row of chairs, to picking pretend oranges from a kibbutz orchard, to visiting a Western Wall made of blocks, the staples of Israeli tourism are re-created. Youngsters explore the desert (sand spread on a sidewalk), swim in the Dead Sea (a blue blanket on the floor), and join a parade. Straightforward text describes each photo: "It's time for lunch. Here is a felafel stand. Sophie likes salad in her felafel. Emily likes French fries." This book is a must-have for Jewish preschools, where the ideas will be familiar and the accompanying craft activity ("Israel's Birthday Hats") will be appreciated. Those looking for simple introductory materials about the country itself should try Sylvia Rouss's Sammy Spider's First Trip to Israel (2002) or Judye Groner's Let's Visit Israel (2004, both Lerner).—Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL
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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Library Binding: 24 pages
• Publisher: Kar-Ben Publishing (April 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822576686
• ISBN-13: 978-0822576686
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 8.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #775,815 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 star review, February 20, 2008

By 

Virginia S. Grenier "Children's Author & Stor... (Ivins, Utah USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It's Israel's Birthday! (Library Binding)

This delightful hardcover book tells the story of "Yom Ha'atzmaut", the celebration of Israel's independence. Author Ellen Dietrick takes us to Congregation Beth Israel's preschool class in Charlottesville, Virginia, where professional photographer Tod Cohen photographs the class as they take an imaginary plane ride to Israel to celebrate this very important Jewish historical event. The children have their passports stamped at Ben Gurion Airport. They stop at a kibbutz for an orange or two. They stop at the shuk (market) in Jerusalem. One of the children purchases a Kiddush cup as a Bar Mitzvah gift for his big brother. They buy lunch at a falafel stand. They visit the Kotel, (wall) and tuck a written prayer into the Western Wall. They walk through the hot desert sand and cool off in the Dead Sea, which has so much salt in it, you float very easily, just like you would if you tried to swim in America's Great Salt Lake. The children learn to count in Hebrew. They march in a big parade in Tel Aviv to celebrate Israel's birthday. All within the confines of their preschool classroom!

This is a sparkling fun book that's appropriate for children of all faiths. They will learn a little bit of the faith and the culture of their Jewish friends in an easy-to-understand way. Ellen's well-written text and imaginative ways for her class to "experience" Israel, combined with the fantastic photographs of Tod Cohen, makes this an outstanding book for children. The last page of the book is a "how to" craft page for children to make their own birthday hats to march in Israel's birthday parade. If you are looking for something different with a positive learning experience for your child, this is the book to read! This is the latest book in Kar-Ben's popular It's Time series.

5.0 out of 5 stars Israel, July 5, 2009

By 

Ruth "Ruthie" (Ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It's Israel's Birthday! (Library Binding)

I like this book. When I read this book to the class.They have an idea how the kids on the other side of the world live. Its shows how other kids celebrate the holiday.The book make it seem more real.

5.0 out of 5 stars Preschool Books, April 28, 2009

By 

Mrs. Liza S. Steiger "Morah Liza" (Cleveland., Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: It's Israel's Birthday! (Library Binding)

As a preschool teacher, I love this book. My class loves the entire series. It is always fun to see pictures of real children doing real preschool things, especially Jewish children. We followed some of the things they did in the book in our classroom. We can't wait for the next book!