It's Shofar Time! [School & Library Binding]

Latifa Berry Kropf (Author), Tod Cohen (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The latest entry in Kropf's ongoing series about Jewish holidays once again features color photos that put small children at the heart of things. This time Kropf focuses on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, with the title of her book referring to a ram's horn, the sounding of which is one of the most memorable holiday traditions, especially for children. Kropf then eases little ones into more about the celebration, first establishing the time of year when the holiday occurs ("It's fall. Time to celebrate Rosh Hashanah"), then introducing some of the other traditions associated with it--dipping apples in honey; creating cards that say Shanah Tovah--"Have a good year"; and making round challah. Explanations are brief and spot-on for the age group (some little ones will be able to read the text on their own), and the kids in the pictures have a wonderful natural look that speaks to the talent of the photographer. Leslie Kimmelman's Sound the Shofar! (1998) is another title suitable for the very young child. Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Publisher

A 2007 Sydney Taylor Award Notable Book

Product Details

• School & Library Binding: 24 pages
• Publisher: Kar-Ben Pub (June 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580131581
• ISBN-13: 978-1580131582
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 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: #1,694,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IT'S SHOFAR TIME!, October 3, 2006

By 

Jewish Book World Magazine (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It's Shofar Time! (School & Library Binding)

This is the sixth and final addition to the author's excellent Holiday Time series, just in time for Rosh Hashanah! As in the other titles, (It's Challah Time! It's Seder Time! etc.) Tod Cohen's full-color photos capture the joyousness of the children as they learn to celebrate the holiday wearing new clothes, making Jewish New Year's cards for their families, tasting new foods such as pomegranates and star fruits, and blowing the shofar. The sounds of the shofar are explained in easy, understandable terms for this young age level. The children are also shown learning such things as tying their shoes and writing their names. The brief amount of text on each page and very appealing children pictured learning to make round challot and blow the shofar make this just right for using with pre-schoolers, their parents, and in the classroom. Included is an easy shofar craft and a brief paragraph about Rosh Hashanah. Recommended for all Jewish libraries. Ages: 4-6. Reviewed by Andrea Davidson

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 2007 Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book for Younger Readers, January 27, 2007

By 

Rachel Kamin "Chair, Sydney Taylor Book Award... (West Bloomfield, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It's Shofar Time! (School & Library Binding)

This installment in the photo essay series by Kropf and Cohen centers on the holiday of Rosh Hashanah. The children blow the shofar, create New Year's cards, bake round challah, dip apples in honey, see the Torah dressed in white, and perform tashlich. The text also refers to the New Year as a time to learn new things, try new things, and set goals for the coming year. Instructions for making a shofar craft project are included along with a brief note about Rosh Hashanah. Like the other editions in this series (It's Challah Time, It's Sukkah Time, It's Hanukkah Time, It's Seder Time, and It's Purim Time), It's Shofar Time will be appreciated by Jewish nursery school teachers and their students.

4.0 out of 5 stars Colourful, multi-ethnic and fun!, September 15, 2010

By 

Jennifer M. Macleod "yiddishe supermama" (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: It's Shofar Time! (School & Library Binding)

I like this series very much and have used them with my own kids and with small groups of 2-5-year-olds. Children love seeing "themselves" - real kids doing real crafts, activities and interacting with theit rabbi, teachers and others.

The book nicely reflects today's multi-cultural Jewish community (Reuven and Chloe on the same page - I love that!). It's more varied than my own kids see in our Orthodox shul, but not by much... and as children of converts, it's important for them to know that not every Jew has white skin, brown hair and brown eyes.

Minor quibble with this particular book: the book opens by saying "it's fall." Well, not here, it isn't. Fall's still a week away and Rosh Hashanah started a week AGO, making it still summer. It's great to start a book with the passing of the seasons, but even my 5-year-old wonders why the book says it's fall when it isn't.

I really do like the themes the author has chosen (passage of time, new skills for the kids, new fruit, tashlich, shofar, cards) and her down-to-earth way with words (we pretend the crumbs at tashlich are things we are sorry we have done).

Though Amazon has identified this book as appropriate for ages 4-8, I really feel the best age group is younger. I doubt an 8-year-old would sit still to hear about kids "learning to write their names."

I really liked the paper craft in the back of the book, but it actually is better suited for older kids, because the lacing task isn't really suitable for the skill or attention span of the books who seemed the right age for the book. I had caregivers tape the shofars together instead of lacing, and the kids were very proud of their creations!

Other than these small discrepancies (the season, the age level), this is a great book and an important conclusion to a wonderful series.