A is for Abraham: A Jewish Family Alphabet (Sleeping Bear Alphabets: Cultures)
Kindergarten-Grade 3—This entry in an ever-expanding alphabet series presents a facet of Jewish tradition for each letter. Large, colorful illustrations are accompanied by short rhymes and prose sidebars with additional information. The rhymes are uneven in quality and do not always scan well. They often require knowledge of Jewish life to be understood. The sidebars provide background and context to fill in these gaps, but even so, the information is limited and broadly simplified, and the book will best be appreciated by those familiar with Judaism. As in many such alphabet books, the facts are somewhat random. The author introduces an assortment of holiday customs, biblical or other famous Jewish figures, and cultural elements like klezmer music. Despite many references to Israel, the book has an American point of view; the letter "U" represents "U.S. of A. where half the world's Jews are living today." The luminous illustrations are the book's best feature. The realistic paintings show expressive individuals often captured in quiet moments of emotion. The modern scenes depict mainstream white American Jews with whom many non-Orthodox readers can identify. This is a solid choice for identity-building and education in Jewish settings, and it could be used to introduce Judaism if interpreted by a knowledgeable facilitator and combined with other titles.—Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FLCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.