Jerusalem Sky: Stars, Crosses and Crescents [Hardcover]

Mark Podwal (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: K and up

Jerusalem–ancient home to Jews, Christians, and Muslims–is blanketed by a sky like no other. According to legend, the Jerusalem sky held off the rains for seven years while King Solomon built his temple. In the Jerusalem sky, the Bible tells us, a rising star announced the birth of Jesus. Through that same wondrous sky, Islamic belief holds, Muhammad climbed to heaven. In our own times, the Jerusalem sky fills with the sounds of worshippers praying for peace in the synagogues, churches, and mosques below. And each year new voices rise up to the Jerusalem sky, where so many miracles have been witnessed.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3 Up–Podwal has paired a brief poetic text with skillfully composed and executed abstract impressionist paintings that show the beauty and sacredness of the ancient city and its importance to the three major religions that are rooted there. In simply worded statements–one or two sentences per page–he recounts the lore of this City of Peace that has been fought over since ancient times. (Perhaps possessing Jerusalem/is like trying to own the sky). Text pages face paintings in eye-catching shades of fiery orange and blue. The art features holy places of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim peoples. This lovely, inspirational book, best read aloud by an adult voice, could lead to discussion of Jerusalem's history and the current situation there, and, perhaps, to further study of the three religions.–Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 3-5. The religious history of Jerusalem is as omnipresent in the sky above, as it is in the city itself. In short, with beautiful poems and vivid, impressionistic artwork, Podwal captures the hope and tears the city evokes among followers of the three monotheistic religions of the world. Calling on both history and myth ("Some believe that halfway between heaven and earth, the Jerusalem sky is home to a city with walls of silver, gates of pearl, and streets of gold"), Podwal paints word pictures of Jerusalem's special nature and explains why Judaism, Christianity, and Islam hold it holy. For instance, "Christians tell of a wondrous star in the Jerusalem sky . . . . And they tell how thirty-three years later, a spring afternoon's daylight blackened into a starless sky." The pictures hint of Chagall, with readers using their softer sight to make out the images. The colors, though, are vivid: the pinks and golds of the city's stones, the oranges and greens from the groves, and the myriad blues of the sky. Put this in the hands of children, and talk to them about hope rather than hostilities. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (August 23, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038574689X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385746892
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 0.4 x 10.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,534,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dream That Is Jerusalem Fashioned into a Poem for Children, October 6, 2005

By 

Meredith Noire "Writer and Reader" (The Banks of the Wabash Far Away) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jerusalem Sky: Stars, Crosses and Crescents (Library Binding)

Illustrated with a stunning blend of acrylic, gouache, and colored pencil, JERUSALEM SKY presents the meaning Jerusalem holds for Judaism (stars), Christianity (crosses), and Islam (crescents) in the form of a children's poem. From the focus of the sky, the stories of the Temple of Solomon and the Western Wall, Golgotha Hill and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock are revealed. The reader is bathed in dreamlike descriptions of these holy sites, which although carefully drawn are never directly named.

The text is simple yet beautiful, and the pictures possess a vivid primitiveness that invokes a sense of otherworldliness. The three religions are portrayed in such a balanced and loving manner that it creates the illusion they coexist within the walls of Jerusalem in an incredible peace. This is a perfect book to introduce children to the majesty of Jerusalem without any of the animosity that usually mars it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book for Inter-Faith Families, January 3, 2007

By 

Janet C. Schwartz (Coral Springs, FL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jerusalem Sky: Stars, Crosses and Crescents (Hardcover)

A clear and educational explanation of three religions traditions present not only in Jerusalem but in many other cities of our world. A good book for inter-faith families.