Customer Reviews

Zvuvi's Israel

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Reviewed by: Wayne Walker

How would you like to take a "straight-as-the-fly-goes" tour of a foreign country? Author Tami Lehman-Wilzig enables us to do exactly this. Zvuvi, which means "fly" in Hebrew, is just that--a fly! He meets his cousin Zahava at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, Israel, and together they zoom to various other cities in Israel, such as Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Eilat, stopping to see various sights along the way, including the Soreq Cave, Dor Beach, Upper Galilee, Mt. Hermon, Qumran (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found), and the Dead Sea.

Jewish children especially will be interested in learning more about these places, but even a lot of non-Jews who have studied the events recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures will enjoy seeing what many of those places are like today. There are both a glossary to explain the meanings of certain words used in the text and a map to help readers follow the route that Zvuvi and Zahava take. Also, on several pages, many of the colorful illustrations by Ksenia Topaz contain a "find the fly" exercise that kids will like to do (and if you can't find them, there are some hints on the last page). This is a really neat book to get a "fly's eye view" of the nation of Israel.

Join Zvuvi, the fly, and his cousin Zahava as they buzz all around Israel. Beginning in Jerusalem, they zoom to dozens of interesting sites. With a smattering of facts about each location, accentuated by a few words in Hebrew and lots of excitement, the two flies show readers things that make Israel so special. Join them for lunch as Zuvivi nibbles "on a falafel ball that has fallen to the ground at Machaneh Yehudah..." Then find him as he hides in Soreq Cave and learn about stalactites and stalagmites along the way. The adventurous Zvuvi is almost swatted by a cook in Abu Ghosh, then barely escapes the jaws of an alligator in Hamat Gader. From lunch at Lake Kinneret to scuba diving in Eilat, the two flies cover the entire country. A map of Israel is included to help readers locate their many stopping points. Zvuvi's Israel is both entertaining and informative; an excellent introduction to the many wonderful cities and attractions Israel has to offer. For ages 6 - 10. Marcia Berneger