Tasty Bible Stories: A Menu of Tales & Matching Recipes [Paperback]

Tami Lehman-Wilzig (Author), Katherine Janus Kahn (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Bible

Retells 14 familiar Old Testament in up-to-date language with related recipes.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-6--This tempting book gives readers more than just food for thought. Hip retellings of the stories of Adam and Eve, Noah, Sarah, and other figures are each accompanied by two or three recipes, for example, "Barley & Onions" for the story of Ruth and "Persian Kebab" for the story of Esther. The language is modern and approachable, as when Deborah says, "I call the shots," and Moses tells his people, "Listen up, we've got important work to do." Color illustrations, many of them full page, are animated and boldly rendered, and the recipes are surrounded by pictures of tasty-looking ingredients. A recipe index and table of metric conversions are included. Children will be intrigued by this welcome addition to religious collections.--Sandra Kitain, Abrams Hebrew Academy, Yardley, PA
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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Kar-Ben Publishing (August 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580130801
• ISBN-13: 978-1580130806
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,301,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I love my Jewish heritage and I love interacting with kids. That's why I write Jewish content books that get my readers involved. My stories are always accompanied by an added value activity. It may be cooking a recipe related to the tale, finding a character playing hide 'n seek in a beautifully illustrated picture, or having the reader write his/her own story at the end of the book. Whatever the activity, I want my readers to connect to my books. Although I live in Israel, I travel to the United States 1-2 times a year to give interactive book presentations in schools and community centers. I do virtual author visits as well. To find out more about my books and why I write them, please visit my website: www.tlwkidsbooks.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous and fun, October 24, 2009

By 

itsjustme (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tasty Bible Stories: A Menu of Tales & Matching Recipes (Paperback)

You probably already know cooking with kids makes good family fun, provides children with a life-skill, and helps teach basic math concepts. And now, with Tasty Bible Stories by Tami Lehman-Wilzig, you can add "learning about the Bible" to the list of good things cooking can do for your kids.

In this unique book, an old Testament Bible story is retold in about two pages. A sidebar offers facts about food related to the story, and the following page offers two recipes made with that food.

For example, the first story is that of Adam and Eve. Not surprisingly, the food attached to that story is apples (although the author admits we don't really know what sort of fruit was on the Tree of Knowledge, so she includes another popular biblical fruit: figs). A recipe for baked apple and a recipe for figs and sour cream are included.

For the story of Noah, grape recipes are included (because Noah planted a vineyard after the flood); for the story of angelic visitors to Sarah and Abraham, we have pita pockets and hummus (possible Bible-time breakfast foods); for Jacob and Esau, stew; for Joseph, pasta (because Egyptians invented pasta...who knew?); for baby Moses, an eggplant omelet and fatoosh bread salad (Egyptian foods); for the story of Passover, matzah brie, cold egg soup, and charoset; for the story of manna, tofu (ha!); for the story of the Jews entering Canan, grape juice and carrots (foods of the land); for Sisera, hot milk with cinnamon; for Ruth, barley and onion; for Queen Esther's feast, Persian rice and kebab; and more.

What I Like: This is a fun way to make Bible stories come to life. The author's writing style is fun ("'I have a grape idea!' he [Noah] called out happily one day. 'You mean GREAT idea,' corrected Shem. 'No, I mean GRAPE," insisted Noah. 'I'm going to grow grapes!'") and Katherine Janus Kahn's illustrations are bold and vivid.

What I Dislike: Nothing. But parents should know this book is written for Jewish children; therefore, it includes passages like this: "Each year we retell the story of the exodus from Egypt by reading the Haggadah, and we eat matzah, the original fast food...") Also, don't expect the recipes in this book to be accurate to biblical times; they are simply a way to help make certain Bible stories more memorable.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Kristina Seleshanko
Managing Editor
Christian Children's Book Review

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Good Book and the Cook Book, November 9, 2006

By 

Candace R. Kwiatek "Morah Rakefet" (Dayton, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tasty Bible Stories: A Menu of Tales & Matching Recipes (Paperback)

Although not lengthy, this paperback is a terrific resource for families or religious school teachers. The recipes are easy enough for kids to make largely on their own and are very appealing taste-wise. Adding a food dimension to Bible studies makes the lessons more memorable and interactive. I use it regularly with my class and wish I'd had it when my kids were young!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meeting God at the Table, January 7, 2008

By 

C. B. Park - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tasty Bible Stories: A Menu of Tales & Matching Recipes (Paperback)

I love this book. I purchased it with the intent of using it for inspiration - I'm writing a Vacation Bible School curriculum for my parish. The recipes are wonderful and they are connected to biblical paraphrases. Most of the recipes are easy to prepare and lend themselves to a group activity. The illustrations are delightful also. The book is from a Jewish perspective. Do not expect Christian scripture references. The stories are all from the Hebrew Scriptures. Of course, those are the stories most Christian kids hear in Sunday School! So, bake an apple pie and re-read the stories of Creation in Genesis. It's fun to meet God at the table.