A Mezuzah on the Door [Paperback]

Amy Meltzer (Author), Janice Fried (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Kar-Ben Publishing (October 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580132510
• ISBN-13: 978-1580132510
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 8.4 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #913,942 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in the suburbs of Baltimore. I attended Beth Tfiloh Day School, and the Bryn Mawr School for Girls, where we wore dresses and bloomers to gym class. I was a good, but not great, student. My favorite classes were English and anything with boys. I loved to write and had some wonderful teachers (including my mother) who impressed upon me the importance of clear, concise writing and above all, impeccable grammar. I even studied Latin, a language that no one speaks anymore, for four years!

I went to Wesleyan University, where I studied History and Religion. After college, I spent a summer moving furniture into dorms while I tried to decide what to do next. Much to the surprise of my friends and family, I took a job teaching at an outdoor education center called Nature's Classroom, where I took children on hikes, learned how to tan animal hides, and fell in love with the wilderness. After that, I spent many summers leading backpacking and canoeing trips. In my free time I tried to get as far away as possible from the city.

And then I moved to New York City. (Go figure.) I studied in a women's yeshiva called Drisha, where I learned Aramaic, another language that no one speaks anymore. I studied the Torah and Talmud, and many other old and wonderful Jewish books. (I no longer minded not having boys in my class.) I also got my first teaching job in a Jewish day school called Beit Rabban. I learned a lot about teaching. I also learned that I didn't know nearly enough about teaching. I enrolled in a graduate program in Western Massachusetts, and stayed to take a job teaching at a new Jewish day school in the same town.

After teaching first and second grade for four years, I got married and moved to Ashland, Oregon. Two years later our first daughter Ella was born, and we moved back to New England to be near our families. We bought a house and quickly hung up a lot of mezuzot, precisely two weeks before the birth of our second daughter Zoe. My husband Keith and I still live in New England, where I teach, write and take care of our daughters.

What did I leave out of my quick life story? Here are a few more items, in no particular order. My husband and I adopted a big Yellow-Lab/Golden Retriever mix named Zev from the pound, I founded a very cool program called the Teva Learning Center, I learned to play guitar, lived in Jerusalem, and backpacked by myself across Alaska.

A Mezuzah on the Door is my first book. My second book, The Shabbat Princess will be out in 2011.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm not Jewish, but I wish I were?, September 14, 2007

By 

Phoebe Caulfield (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mezuzah on the Door (Jewish Identity) (Hardcover)

OK, so I'm from Arkansas, land of very few Jews. I'm an Episcopalian, but I believe that my children should know the value of many different religions. But not in a perfunctory, PC, diversityish way. And this book is just perfect for that. It beautifully explains a Jewish tradition while telling a delightful story that any child would enjoy. How lucky are the children of this author!

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely book that is sweet, funny, and instructive, August 23, 2007

By 

Webley Webster (Hillsborough, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Mezuzah on the Door (Paperback)

This is a wonderful children's book with much to recommend it. The story is sweet and funny; the illustrations are gorgeous; and the book teaches the importance of the mezuzah to Jewish life without being didactic, preachy, or boring. Children and their parents will enjoy reading this lovely tale over and over, and the detail-rich illustrations will provide many hours of enrichment and entertainment. A wonderful book!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Multifaceted Story for Children and Parents, August 24, 2007

By 

Miriam J. Foss - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Mezuzah on the Door (Paperback)

The Mezuzah on the Door blends Jewish ritual with the many emotions involved in moving and new beginnings.The Mezuzah ceremony brings together family and old friends as Noah adjusts to his new home. The dynamic interplay of text and illustrations clearly aand delightfully tell the story of Jewish ritual surrounding the dedication of a new home. It is accessible to people with any level of Jewish knowlege. Judaism serves as a source of comfort and support for the entire family through this significant life change. Humor and fine writng make this book a "must have" for young families.