Picture Book Round-Up-- Kar Ben Publishing

We've received a couple more great books from Kar Ben to share with you!

3 Falafels in my Pita
A Counting Book of Israel
board book
5 stars

My little girls LOVE this book.  I love saying "falafel".  ;)

A cute counting book with simple text (numbers 1-10), with many things featured from Israel.  For example: Masada, the beach, falafel (obviously), Tel Aviv, Eilat, and the Western Wall.

I totally recommend this one-- it's a great size, the simple text is ideal for toddlers, and the bright illustrations have universal appeal.

The Wren and the Sparrow
picture book
4 stars

I wanted this one to have a little more history... I was thinking it was more specifically based on a true story rather than just on the musicians in the ghetto in general.

That said, it's a wonderfully told story with gorgeous illustrations and I really enjoyed it.

While it is a picture book, the length and themes make it one for an older audience, say elementary school age.  I could see using it in a classroom even in the upper elementary grades and it's the kind of picture book Boo still chooses to read.

A great gift idea for a teacher or anyone who loves historical stories from WWII.

Round-up Passover Edition

Our friends at Kar-Ben publishing have some cool Passover titles this year.  We haven't read any of them yet, but wanted to spotlight them for those looking for fun Passover books!




After a long day of cooking and cleaning, Papa, Mama, Hannah, and Noah Sheep are all ready for Passover seder in And Then Another Sheep Turned Up. But just as they're about to sit down and begin, Grandma Sheep shows up! She's not the only unexpected guest that arrives during the seder, as Uncle Sol, Grandpa, Danny and Sharon, and finally Aunt Deb all join the celebration. Told in buoyant rhyme, this newest Passover story from Kar-Ben includes all the most important parts of a Passover seder while telling the story of the Sheep family's surprising evening!



Engineer Ari has only one day to gather all the things he needs for a seder with his friends in Engineer Ari and the Passover Rush, the fourth story in Kar-Ben's popular Engineer Ari series. Luckily, his many friends and neighbors happily share their seder plate items with him. In return, Engineer Ari promises to bring them matzah from the matzah factory in Jerusalem. He enjoys watching the workers make the matzah, but will he make it back to Jaffa in time to celebrate the seder with Jessie and Nathaniel? The "Engineer Ari" series is inspired by the historic train from Jaffa to Jerusalem rail line, built in 1892, which shortened the journey between the cities from 3 days to 3 ½ hours.

One minute, twins Scarlett and Sam are bickering about who's going to read the Four Questions at the Passover seder. The next minute, they've been swept up by Grandma Mina's time-traveling carpet and dumped in the ancient Egyptian desert! And as if being stranded 3,000 years in the past isn't bad enough, they also find their fellow Hebrews suffering in slavery.

So they team up with Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help free the slaves. The future's looking bright! But the story they know so well doesn't turn out the way they expected . . .

Hannah, in The Littlest Levine, hates being the littlest Levine. She can't ride the school bus like her sister and brother. During Sukkot, she needs help hanging her decorations in the Sukkah, and on Hanukkah she's not allowed to light candles by herself. "Be patient," her grandpa tells her, "soon you'll be proud to be the littlest Levine." Every evening in the weeks before Passover, she studies with her grandpa, and when the seder comes, it's finally Hannah's turn to shine!

Seder in the Desert invites you to join a group of families as they follow Rabbi Jamie into Moav, Utah to celebrate a most unusual Passover seder in the desert. As they hike through the sandstone and red rock desert, they learn important lessons about the Israelites' exodus from Egypt, such as the importance of helping one another. Together, the community hikes, learns, laughs, sings, debates, and enjoys the delicious Passover seder meal. The story is accompanied by photos of the celebration as well as stunning desert scenery by award-winning photographer Jeff Finkelstein.

Hanukkah oh Hanukkah

Quick shout-out to Kar-Ben publishing, who has sent us a couple of great picture books.

The Whispering Town-- a great story about people hiding and helping Jews during WWII.  Kids loved it and it's a good introduction to talking about the Holocaust.

Ziggy's Big Idea-- my kids love bagels, so they loved this cute book about the creation of the bagel.  Bonus: it includes a recipe!

They have other titles that look fun too, like Latke the Lucky Dog; Alef is for Abba; New Month, New Moon; and Stork's Landing.

Check them out if you're buying Hanukkah gifts!

Another Hanukkah selection that recently came to my attention is THIS ONE....



Now, I'm not Jewish, so I don't get all of the jokes, but you gotta admit some of these are funny.
   

From the looks of the preview, some are a bit more risque, but it was too quirky not to throw out there. ;)

Finally-- I just want to share one of my favorite Hanukkah songs.  Now, there's not actual video on this, but it's worth a listen.