The Seventh Day (General Jewish Interest) [Paperback]

Deborah Cohen (Author), Melanie Hall (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1–This story is a combination of the traditional Jewish creation myth, which leads to the beginning of the Sabbath, and a prayer in which God is referred to as a potter, a painter, and, in this case, a musician. At times the parallels between the jobs and the actions of the Creator are strained, and the language occasionally becomes overly sweet. The mixed-media illustrations are quite lovely, with a Chagall-like feel. They flow nicely across the pages along with the story, but they, too, at times stray into saccharine. The addition of the Jewish prayer for the wine and for Shabbat seems to limit this title to a somewhat religious group, but the phraseology in places is fairly modern and will probably not be acceptable to the Orthodox community. Reform and Conservative Jewish communities may find this book useful, but it's unlikely to have a wider audience.–Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 24 pages
• Publisher: Kar-Ben Publishing (January 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580131255
• ISBN-13: 978-1580131254
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,792,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ever since I was a young girl, I have enjoyed stories. I wrote myths and fairy tales in elementary school. For a long time, I thought that I might be a journalist. But, my love for Judaism and its sacred stories led me to become a rabbi. Stories that I created for the classroom or pulpit became books that I was lucky enough to have published.

When I am not writing Jewish children's books and Jewish teen novels, I am the Rabbi for Lifelong Education at Temple Emanuel in Cherry Hill, NJ. I was ordained in 1997 from Hebrew Union College in New York City. I have worked at Jewish camps, led more Jewish retreat weekends than I can count, and enjoy teaching pre-schoolers, senior adults and everybody in between.


I grew up in Columbia, MD, and graduated the University of Michigan (Go Blue!). I am married to David Cohen ' an editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer. We are joyfully raising two children Arianna Shira, who was born in 2001, and Jesse Benjamin, who was born in 2008. Our family includes a Shetland Sheepdog named ToeWho (meaning: Chaos in Biblical Hebrew).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh approach to a familiar story, August 14, 2005

By 

Karl Kraft (Glassboro, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Seventh Day (Hardcover)

Rabbi Deborah Bodin Cohen, whom I have had the pleasure of meeting on several occasions over the past four years, has managed to bring a story of biblical proportions down to size for the young set. The Genesis story of creation is told in simple, yet energetic terms, which will hold the attention of any child old enough to show an interest in books. A must-have for any parent who wants to acquaint his or her child with the basic stories of the Bible.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We are proud of Rabbi Debbie Cohen for her new book!, January 29, 2005

By 

Steven L. Lubetkin (Cherry Hill, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Seventh Day (Hardcover)

As vice president of education for Temple Emanuel in Cherry Hill, NJ, it has been a real pleasure and honor for me to work closely with Rabbi Debbie Cohen, our director of lifelong learning as she leads our religious school and adult education activities. We are especially proud of the publication of her first book, The Seventh Day, and we hope that her joy and enthusiasm for teaching our children about Shabbat will reach many readers, young and old.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Creation Story Beautifully Worded, August 11, 2010

By 

Candi Wilson (FAIRFAX, VA, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Seventh Day (Hardcover)

This book covers the story of the creation beautifully. Showing God using talents like painting, singing, pottery, and music in the making of the earth, sky and all living things, I believe encourages youngsters to discover the talents that God has given them. The story flowed very well and even though the last 4 pages focuses on Shabbat, I believe this book would be a good addition to any home that believes Creationism. It would not interrupt the flow of the story if a Christian changed the word 'shabbat' to 'the sabbath', although I do not do that in my home. I love reading stories of other religions and cultures to my children and then (when they are old enough) we have discuss the similarities in our faiths.