Jewish Alphabet

by Janet Clement, Albert Rodriguez (Illustrator)

Overview

Jam-packed with informative and fun facts, this ABC book teaches Jewish culture and tradition with alliteration and rhyme. In I is for Israel, young readers learn which language is acknowledged nationally, which city is recognized as the capital, and what three major religions are rooted and represented in that country. B is for bagels describes the popular food’s variety as well as what is traditionally eaten with them.

The entire alphabet is displayed at the top of all twenty-six entries, with the highlighted letter represented in bold typeface. Below the linear alphabet, the highlighted letter is stylistically drawn to represent the letter as well as depict the chosen word. The selected word is used and defined, and additional words beginning with the same letter are introduced.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781455606696
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	12/02/2022
Series:	ABC Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	1 - 12 Years

About the Author

  Janet Clement is a provider consultant for center-based childcare and offers technical assistance and training to sites serving children from infancy through elementary school for before- and after-school care. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
  Albert G. Rodriguez’s formal arts training includes schooling at the High School of Art and Design and City College of New York, both in New York, New York.
 

Editorial Reviews

Each letter of the alphabet is illustrated incorporating Judaic symbols, celebrations, food, clothing and traditions and accompanied by a rhyming couplet and an informative paragraph in The Jewish Alphabet by Janet Clement, illus. by Albert G. Rodriguez. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 2-A random assortment of Jewish objects, symbols, and Bible stories represents each letter of the alphabet (A for Ark, B for bagel, etc.), along with rhyming couplets and prose descriptions. Related vocabulary is listed on each page. Illustrations incorporate the letter shapes, but distort the named objects to achieve this. Both text and art are labored and self-conscious. Rhymes are forced, perspectives are skewed, and the word lists add little to the understanding of each concept. The pictures, while colorful and inventive, have the naive quality of a child's art. In fact, the whole package has a homemade feel to it, down to the design. This book provides too little context to educate, and too much dry data to inspire, readers. Malka Drucker's A Jewish Holiday ABC (Harcourt, 1992), while also somewhat random, is at least superior in its straightforward text and attractive cut-paper illustrations.-Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

The Anglo rather than Hebrew alphabet is used here as a loose tie-in presenting Jewish-related information on holidays, customs, traditions and certain religious practices. While some letter connections seem sensibly Jewish-oriented-"K is for Kiddush, a prayer over wine / thanking God for giving us the fruit of the vine / L is for latkes fried 'til crisp and yummy / Add applesauce or sour cream and fill up your tummy"-others seem stretched and more generic: "A is for animals, boarding Noah's Ark / hurrying on two by two before the sky turns dark / B is for bagels baked golden brown / many varieties, all of them round." In addition to displaying upper- and lower-case letters and extra words for each letter, the author provides explanations for each concept. Mixed-media illustrations incorporate the shape of the letter into the object each represents, and accompany prose and uneven and imperfectly rhymed text. An introductory hodgepodge of information, at best. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews