Reverent, peaceful watercolors in rainbow hues accompany this collection of Jewish stories adapted from a variety of sources that explain ancient customs and history, such as the importance of tzedakah, or charity, and the miracle at King David's tomb. All ages.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6?A collection of 11 Jewish folktales and legends from around the world, all centering on the city of Jerusalem. Stories are taken from the Talmud and Midrash, from folklore, or from mystical or Hasidic sources. The selections, printed in readable typeface, take up two-thirds of the page width, while in the wide margin, Schwartz has provided commentary on the story. From Iraq's oral tradition comes "The Bird of Happiness," a fairy tale that recalls the Exodus story as a magic bird guides wanderers in the desert to Jerusalem. "The Mountain That Moved," from ninth-century Italy, may have been written to explain an esoteric psalm (22:22) by King David centuries before. "The Vampire Demon" from first-century Greece, pits the wisdom of King Solomon against the vampire who tries to stop the building of the Temple. From 19th-century Spain comes the "Princess of Light." Like many of these tales, it can be read on two levels?as a fairy tale or as a parable. Waldman has suffused the pages with the peach-colored dawns, golden sunlit days, and turquoise and lavender twilights of Jerusalem. His masterful watercolor artwork makes this fine anthology an outstanding selection.?Marcia W. Posner, Holocaust Memorial and Educational Center of Nassau County, Glen Cove, NY
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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