NOVEMBER 11 • 2021 | 35

originally published in 2006, but updated 
this year. 
• Thank You – Modeh Ani by Rabbi 
Alyson Solomon (illustrated by Bryony 
Clarkson) is a book about gratitude for 
children inspired by Jewish prayers for 
waking up to a new day. In this delight-
fully illustrated book, a diverse group of 
children express gratitude for all parts 
of their bodies, from the waist that wig-
gles to the toes that tap. 
In a note to families 
about “Modeh Ani” 
and “
Asher Yatzar,” 
Rabbi Alyson hopes 
to inspire gratitude for 
each new day. 
From Jewish book pub-
lisher Behrman House 
in New Jersey; all titles 
available on Amazon.
• From revered and award-winning 
Israeli author/journalist Meir Shalev 
comes A Snake, A Flood, A Hidden 
Baby: Bible Stories for Children. Colorful 
illustrations are by Italian artist Emanuele 
Luzzati. Shalev gives modern interpre-
tations to six Bible stories: Adam and 
Eve, Noah and 
the flood, Moses 
in the river, the 
Tower of Babel, 
Joseph and his 
brothers, and the 
angels who visit-
ed Abraham and 
Sarah. The short, 
whimsical stories are easy for even young 
children to understand. 
• In My Israel and Me, author Alice 
Blumenthal McGinty uses verse to show 
how various people who live in Israel feel 
about their lives there, from a Jerusalem 
street cat to Ethiopian immigrants, kib-
butzniks, and Bedouin and Arab Israeli 
families. With each page are facts about 
each group depicted. Rotem Teplow’s 
wonderful 
illustrations 
give graphic 
representation 
to each group, 
all of whom 
are shown 

together on the cover and last pages to 
show the Israeli mosaic. 
• The Rabbi and the Painter evolved 
after author Shoshana Weiss heard the 
rumor of a rela-
tionship between 
Rabbi Leon of 
Modena (Judah 
Aryeh) and the 
Italian painter 
Jacopo Robusti 
(Tintoretto), 
who lived near 
one another in 
Venice in the late 
1950s. She cre-
ated this story supposing the rumor 
was true, although it has never been 
substantiated. This story, illustrated 
by Jennifer Kirkham, explores how 
the unconventional painter creates a 
masterpiece after seeking advice from the 
rabbi, who ventures outside the ghetto to 
explore the secular life around him. 
From Kalaniot, a Jewish imprint of Endless 
Mountains Publishing in Pennsylvania; all 
available on Amazon.

PJ LIBRARY RESOURCES
Parents and grandparents, if you’re not 
signed up to receive Jewish children’s 
books and more from the PJ Library, 
a nonprofit program of the Harold 

Grinspoon Foundation, you are 
missing a great opportunity. Go to 
pjlibrary.org.
You not only will receive free books 
mailed to your home, but also a slew 
of other Jewish resources, including 
holiday recipes and craft ideas and 
two new podcasts: “
Afternoons with 
Mimi” and “Beyond the Bookcase.” 
Both will feature Chanukah themes 

during November. 
On the website, also check out 
the “Hanukkah Hub,” which offers 
child-friendly versions of the Chanukah 
story as well as craft ideas, recipes and 
printables (such as the “8 Nights of 
Hanukkah”).

A very cute Chanukah story in their 
stable of books is The Eight Knights of 
Hanukkah (Holiday House, 2020) by 
Leslie Kimmelman and illustrated by 
Galia Bernstein. The knights are asked 
by their mother on the last night of 
Chanukah to rid the kingdom of a das-
tardly dragon so they all can celebrate. 
The knights, which include women, 
hunt the dragon and do acts of kindness 
along the way — feeding soup to the sick, 
visiting the lonely, peeling potatoes for 
latkes. They discover the dragon is merely 
a baby, who ends up joining the holiday 
celebration. In the PJ Library version, 
look at the book flaps for suggested ways 
readers can be of service, too.
Another is Meet the Latkes
by Alan Silberberg (Penguin, 
2018), a silly telling of the 
Chanukah story by the grandpa 
of a family of latkes. He gets 
it all wrong, including men-
tioning Mega-Bees instead of 
Maccabees, but the telling is 
hilarious. Finally, the family 
dog, Applesauce, sets the record 
straight. Again, 
in the PJ Library 
version, look at the 
book flaps for a fun 
family activity to do 
with your kiddos. 
These books can be 
found on Amazon, 
too.
found on Amazon, 

illustrations 
give graphic 
representation 
to each group, 
all of whom 
are shown 

rumor of a rela-
tionship between 
Rabbi Leon of 
Modena (Judah 
Aryeh) and the 
Italian painter 
Jacopo Robusti 

who lived near 
one another in 
Venice in the late 

By Rabbi Alyson Solomon

Illustrated by Bryony Clarkson

APPLES & HONEY PRESS

9 781681 155692

5 1 7 9 5

ISBN 978-1-68115-569-2

AN ImPRINt Of BEHRmAN HOuSE
www.applesandhoneypress.com
AN ImPRINt Of BEHRmAN HOuSE
www.applesandhoneypress.com

 Solomon • ClarkSon Thank you Modeh AnI

$17.95

Thank You for my toes 

that tap . . .

my shoulders 

that shimmy . . .

my mouth that sings. 

Thank You for 

this new day.

We start the day ready to 

move, to dance, to wiggle, and 

to sing with joy in this book 

inspired by Jewish prayers of 

gratitude for waking up to a 

new day.

Modeh ani means “I am grateful” 
in Hebrew.

Rabbi Alyson Solomon is passionate 

about Judaism as a vibrant wisdom 

tradition and believes that spirituality is 

about asking questions that matter and 

then living courageously. She is a courage 

coach, sacred-maker, and prayerful poet 

at www.thisisRAS.com. She lives with her 

daughter in Eugene, Oregon. 

Bryony Clarkson is a collage artist 

and illustrator from Oxford, UK. She 

graduated from the Royal College of 

Art, London, with a degree in textile 

design and worked as a print and 

embroidery designer before turning 

her focus to illustration. Visit her at 

www.bryonyclarkson.com. 

