AppleTree

A Happy Guide

Children will love this new Hebrew word book.

ELIZABETH APPLEBAUM
Apple Tree Editor

M

Finally, after going on a cattle drive
to the Midwest, Zayda arrives in
Kansas City, where he marries and
lives a Jewish life.
This book was written for children
aged 10-14, and most will enjoy it.
The writing is only so-so, but the tale
itself is enjoyable. It's not typical of
the "I'm a grandfather; here is my life
story" routine, and it's just the right
length.
Zayda Was A Cowboy will not be the
most memorable book you've read,
but it's a pleasant enough way to
spend an afternoon.

y First Hebrew Word Book
by Pepi Marzel. Copyright
2005, published by Kar-
Ben (1-800-4KARBEN, or www.kar-
ben.com). Hardback. 32 pages.
$17.95.
What a fun, adorable book this is.
It's well known that young children
have a terrific capacity for learning
languages, well beyond the one that's
spoken at home. Your little one may
be too young for
Hebrew school, • but
The Story of Ruth by
he or she will still
helping jewish
Maxine Rose Schur,
enjoy picking up
familieql grow-
with illustrations by
on a few Hebrew
Gwen Connelly.
words with this
Copyright 2005, published by Kar-
book.
Ben. Paperback. 32 pages. $6.95.
My First Hebrew Word Book is filled
What college student hasn't sung the
with bright, happy pictures and easy-
praises of the genius who came up
to-read, and pronounce, Hebrew
with Cliff Notes — those lovely yel-
words. There's a theme to each section
low-and-black pamphlets, offering a
(such as seasons, or zoo animals, or at
brief summary.
the playground), along with relevant
The Story of Ruth is a kind of Cliff
words in Hebrew, accompanied by
their English translation and transliter- Notes version of the real tale; .it's quick,
easy-to-read, simple to understand.
•
ation.
. Even if you already know Hebrew,
this book is just nice to look at. If you
don't know Hebrew, it's a great place
to start.

Zayda Was A Cowboy by
June Levitt Nislick.
Copyright 2005, published
by the Jewish Publication
Society of America
(www.jewishpub.org).
Paperback. 74 pages. $9.95.
Zayda Was A Cowboy, published
thanks to grants from families in —
you guessed it, Texas — is the story of
one family and their Russian grandfa-
ther, or zayda, who comes to live with
them. Zayda speaks of his immigra-
tion to America; it was this or be
forced into the czar's army.
He left his family and made the
long, difficult journey to America.
Once here, he became a cowboy. He
worked on a ranch in Texas, becoming
stronger and a good worker but always
longing for a more religious life. He
missed kosher food, having a minyan
with which he could daven (pray) and
celebrating the Jewish holidays.

The life of Ruth is one of the
most intriguing, and poignant, stories
in Jewish history. A gentile woman
converts to Judaism, then becomes
grandmother to the great king, David.
Ruth is an amazing figure, and her
story is compelling.
Which is why it really pays to read it

in the original. The Story of Ruth is all
right for little children, but a parent's
telling of the story would be just as, if
not even more, valuable.

Going To Israel: The Dolphin Project
by E.R. Rimmer. Copyright 2005,
published by Four Corners Publish-
ing (www.fourcomersbooks.com ).
Paperback. 202 pages. $6.95.
Talia Reimer is heading to Jerusalem
so she can attend a

dolphin camp.
She plans to write a paper
on dolphin communication for a con-
test and decides to stay with her best
friend, Aviva, while in Israel.
After a quick visit, the two go to the
camp at Eilat's famous Dolphin Reef,
where Talia meets many new friends.
But she doesn't have time for friends

because of all the problems that keep
popping up.
One girl's laptop computer is stolen.
It contains information on artifacts
from ancient Phoenician ships she is
researching. Then a strange man starts
following Talia, and two dolphins
mysteriously disappear from the reef.
Talia suspects one of her counselors.
In the end, of course (this is a book
for young teens) everything turns out
all right, and Talia enjoys the rest of
her stay in Israel.
In short: Going to Israel part of a
series on life in different countries, has
an interesting enough plot, though it
is predictable.
Teens looking for a specifically
Jewish book, though, may be disap-
pointed. Talia is in Israel, but she
never seems to do anything Jewish.
There also are errors in the text,
which can be awfully irritating
("There were ... menorahs, the special
candle holders used at Passover"), and
seemingly snide comments about
Judaism.
When someone suggests Talia learn
a bit of Hebrew — she is, after all, in
Israel — she agrees, "not because I
wanted a Hebrew lesson but because I
agreed that doing something boring
would put me to sleep."
Further, Talia is not always such a
likeable character. A friend hugs her,
and Talia's response is to tell her not to
hug so tightly. She describes her father
as "short and stumpy."
And get ready for some highly unbe-
lievable moments, like when Talia's
parents - hire a Secret Service agent to
protect her. ❑

7/28
2005

19