The Tattered Prayer Book (Mom's Choice Awards Recipent)
What a sensitively written and beautifully illustrated book for parents, grandparents and educators to share with children! Ellen Bari's simple yet moving story coupled with exquisite line drawings by Avi Katz makeThe Tattered Prayer Bookan age-appropriate resource for younger readers. No graphic violence is depicted. A nonthreatening yet accurate picture of the historical era is conveyed. The warmth and rich traditions of Jewish family life are experienced. In a world sadly still characterized by prejudice, hate, and discrimination, our students can instead be taught respect, tolerance, and a responsible, humane citizenship. With the power and desire to change life for the better, our children remain our hope for the future. --Dr. Margaret Lincoln, the District Librarian for Lakeview Schools in Battle Creek, Michigan, has served as a Teacher Fellow with the United States Holocaust Memorial MuseumChildren's sense of fairness allows them to recognize prejudice and discrimination at a very early age. They can understand the harm done by a bully, the pain of the victim and the power of the bystander. It is never too early to teach children respect, tolerance and personal responsibility. Read this book with your children, grandchildren, and students. Our children can learn that respect for all will insure that hate does not continue to breed violence.The Tattered Prayer Bookis an opportunity to take a gentle first step. There is a tension between remembering and forgetting. Some things are worth forgetting, other demand that we remember. I kept thinking about memory and forgetfulness as I read Ellen Bari s beautiful workThe Tattered Prayer Book. Ruthie discovered a box which contained her family s memories. She held a prayer book and confronted her father who had tried to forget the bad his wonderful life in Germany that came to abrupt end with the Nazi rise to power. Please remember for me, Daddy! she begged. And so her father remembered for her, for himself, for history. By remembering we honor the past and we give our children a more forthright understanding of the world in which we live. To remember is to honor the dead; more important, it is to server the living and to grant them the chance to understand, to embrace and to transform. --Michael Berenbaum, Director Professor of Jewish Studies of American Jewish UniversityThis quiet book touches upon very important topics that are just as relevant today.Sometimes it s hard to know how to introduce young children to the harsh realities of the world, but author Ellen Bari has made this dilemma easier by penning a touching, age-appropriate holocaust story calledThe Tattered Prayer Book.In the book, young Ruthie visits her grandmother s home and stumbles across a box full of mementos marked Germany. Inside she finds a burnt and tattered book with words written in Hebrew and German and is told it is her father s prayer book from long ago.Since Ruthie s father has never once mentioned living in Germany and doesn't even have an accent, Ruthie is shocked that the prayer book belongs to him. Thus begins her quest to know who her father is and what the prayer book means to him.She learns that he lived a happy life in Hamburg surrounded by a large doting family and many Jewish and non-Jewish friends. Then the Nazis took over, and suddenly the Jews became outcasts. The friends they had grown up with and played with everyday suddenly ridiculed them and even threatened them with violence.As the violence escalated, the Nazis set fire to the Jewish synagogues, and Ruthie s father found a burned and tattered prayer book among the ashes. He hid it in his coat, and when he and his family were forced to flee to America for their safety, he brought the prayer book with him.This quiet --Rita Lorraine Hubbard, NY Journal of BooksThe Tattered Prayer Bookis a recipient of the prestigious Mom's Choice Award. The Mom's Choice Awards honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Eleven-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow ; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; and LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books. Parents, educators, retailers and the media look for the Mom's Choice Awards seal when selecting quality materials and products for children and families. --Mom's Choice AwardsThis quiet book touches upon very important topics that are just as relevant today.Sometimes it s hard to know how to introduce young children to the harsh realities of the world, but author Ellen Bari has made this dilemma easier by penning a touching, age-appropriate holocaust story calledThe Tattered Prayer Book.In the book, young Ruthie visits her grandmother s home and stumbles across a box full of mementos marked Germany. Inside she finds a burnt and tattered book with words written in Hebrew and German and is told it is her father s prayer book from long ago.Since Ruthie s father has never once mentioned living in Germany and doesn't even have an accent, Ruthie is shocked that the prayer book belongs to him. Thus begins her quest to know who her father is and what the prayer book means to him.She learns that he lived a happy life in Hamburg surrounded by a large doting family and many Jewish and non-Jewish friends. Then the Nazis took over, and suddenly the Jews became outcasts. The friends they had grown up with and played with everyday suddenly ridiculed them and even threatened them with violence.As the violence escalated, the Nazis set fire to the Jewish synagogues, and Ruthie s father found a burned and tattered prayer book among the ashes. He hid it in his coat, and when he and his family were forced to flee to America for their safety, he brought the prayer book with him.This quiet book touches upon very important topics that are just as relevant today as they were at the time of the holocaust namely, bullying, battering and discrimination. The text is simple and age-appropriate though the subject matter is likely to conjure somber emotions for young readers. Also, the book s overall layout sometimes makes it difficult to follow conversations or recognize who is speaking.These drawbacks aside, this book should do well in an elementary social studies or citizenship class or as a jumping off point for discussions on bullying, acceptance, and individualism. --Rita Lorraine Hubbard, NY Journal of Books