Shoshi's Shabbat

by Caryn Yacowitz, Kevin Hawkes (Illustrator)

Overview

The virtues of taking a break—and of being thankful—are extolled in the gentle story of a stubborn ox, an impatient farmer, and a day of rest.

Long ago, in the hills near Jerusalem, lived a young ox. For six days each week, she and her owner would toil in the fields, and on the seventh day both would rest. Then it came to be that this young ox was sold. For six days, she toiled in her new owner’s fields, and on the seventh day the farmer brought out the yoke and plow, expecting to spend another day hard at work. But Shoshi the ox had a different idea. In a warm, friendly narrative and vivid, humorous art, author Caryn Yacowitz and illustrator Kevin Hawkes bring to life a tale drawn from the ancient Jewish stories known as the Midrash, a story as relevant today as it was long ago. It’s a tale of encountering other cultures and learning from them, of paying attention to the world around you—sun, breeze, animals, people—and above all, of learning to slow down and take a break.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536229295
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	10/11/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	18 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Caryn Yacowitz is a playwright, speaker, and the author of several picture books, including Baby Moses in a Basket, illustrated by Julie Downing. She lives in California.

Kevin Hawkes is the illustrator of many books for children, including the best-selling Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen and The Hanukkah Magic of Nate Gadol by Arthur A. Levine. Kevin Hawkes lives with his family in southern Maine.

About Me:
I grew up in a pretty creative family. I have three brothers and one sister. There was a lot of music in our house, as well as books and homemade projects like toothpick sculptures, paper-mâché pinatas, and wooden models. We spent a lot of time outdoors. Wherever we lived, my siblings and I went exploring. We built tree forts and hideouts. I loved watching animals, insects, and turtles.

I moved a lot when I was little and have lived in Europe and many parts of the United States. Europe left a huge impression on me. Climbing winding staircases in castle towers and exploring ancient forests gave me a sense of history and adventure.

In school, I was that quiet kid who liked to read. In the third grade I fell in love with chapter books like Freddy the Detective, The Borrowers, and The Great Brain. My parents loved books, too, and I liked being read to almost more than anything else. I also drew a lot. I liked to draw spaceships, race cars, castles, and monsters. I didn’t like to draw cats or bicycles. A cat riding a bicycle is still a hard thing for me to draw!
Today I live in Southern Maine with my wife and children. Our family loves to make things, and there are lots of projects going on all the time. Wood carving, weaving, sewing, gardening, and blacksmithing are all skills that inspire me.

About My Work:
Becoming an illustrator seemed like the way to combine reading and drawing. Bringing stories to life is so exciting! My illustrations come mostly from my imagination. I love to paint brilliant blue skies and use unusual perspectives.

Using my sense of humor to make kids and adults smile makes me happy. I love the idea of my books being read to children at bedtime. Books are such a peaceful end to sometimes hectic days.


Three Things About Me:
1) I don’t think I have ever fallen asleep during a movie.
2) My bicycle has thick tires and a wire basket on the front big enough to hold a bag of groceries.
3) I have a dog who eats socks.

Editorial Reviews

09/05/2022

In fields near Jerusalem, a winsome brown and white ox named Shoshi works hard six days a week for her Jewish human, Simon. On the seventh day, Shabbat, she rests along with Simon’s family, all portrayed with brown skin, eating sweet hay and playing hide-and-seek with his grandchildren. Eventually, Simon grows too old to guide the plow, and he sells Shoshi to recent arrival Yohanan, who “did not always understand the ways of his Jewish neighbors.” Shoshi’s refusal to work on the seventh day (“She tossed her head to the left. She stamped her feet”), perplexes and angers Yohanan, until, seeing Simon walking on the Sabbath, he realizes, “I am a clever man... Yet I work seven days a week, with no day to rest, no day to give thanks. Perhaps Shoshi is the clever one.” Openhearted directness from Yacowitz (I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Dreidel) and visually playful acrylic art by Hawkes (There’s a Dodo on the Wedding Cake) make a lovely match, as in one spread that affirms Shoshi’s work ethic by showing her dutifully ploughing Yohanan’s fields as if circling a clock (“Shoshi plowed for six days. Yohanan was pleased”). Based on Torah commentary, this pensive picture book is a welcome reminder of the importance of pausing to practice gratitude. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

The author employs simple, accessible language that roots the story in time and place, with believable, sympathetic characters. Hawkes’ detailed acrylic depictions of Shoshi’s and the brown-skinned humans’ facial and body expressions are humorous and thoroughly delightful. . . . A lovely evocation of Shabbat traditions.
—Kirkus Reviews

The pleasures and importance of taking a break are sagely relayed in this picture book, set “long ago on a farm near Jerusalem.”. . . This warmly delivered message of making time for rest, reflection, and relationships is pertinent and heartening for all.
—Booklist

Based on Torah commentary, this pensive picture book is a welcome reminder of the importance of pausing to practice gratitude.
—Publishers Weekly

Based on a traditional Jewish tale, this story celebrates the value of taking a break, connecting with nature, and honoring religious observances.
—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

10/28/2022

K-Gr 3—The saying "dumb as an ox" does not apply to Shoshi. Many years ago in Jerusalem, Shoshi's first owner, Simon, would use the young ox to pull the plow as he tilled the fields. Simon and Shoshi worked hard six days a week, then rested on the seventh day, the Shabbat. On this day, Simon enjoyed his grandchildren's games and songs, and Shoshi appreciated her fresh hay and clean water while resting in the barn. When Simon grows too old to work the fields, he sells Shoshi to Yohanan, a new arrival who is not Jewish. Yohanan is happy with Shoshi's physical strength and compatible nature for the first six days he works with her, but is puzzled by her refusal to work in the fields on the seventh day. This pattern continues until Yohanan discovers that the ox is wise. There are merits to a day of rest. Based on a traditional Jewish tale, this story celebrates the value of taking a break, connecting with nature, and honoring religious observances. The acrylic paint illustrations depict the climate, architecture, and people of Jerusalem two thousand years ago. The author's note reveals that the story is based on a real person, Rabbi Yohanan ben Torta, and his conversion to the Jewish religion due to a behavior of a young ox who observed the Shabbat. VERDICT This title would be a good addition for any library building the diversity section of their picture book collection, and will be particularly welcomed by those serving Jewish communities.—Lynne Stover

School Library Journal

2022-06-08
Shabbat is always a welcome day of rest.

Farmer Simon and his ox, Shoshi, plow his land in the hills near Jerusalem for six days every week. Shabbat is a day to put work aside and take time for quiet pleasures with his grandchildren; it’s also a day of rest for Shoshi, who is rewarded with fresh hay and cool water. When Simon decides that he is too old to continue working his farm, he sells his ox to Yohanan, a recent arrival who does not understand his Jewish neighbors’ traditions. Shoshi works tirelessly with Yohanan for six days but each Shabbat refuses to move. Yohanan wonders if the ox is stubborn, lazy, or ill. But when he sees his children playing with Shoshi and notices Simon with his prayer shawl, he realizes that clever Shoshi knows that Shabbat means no work. So Yohanan embraces the tradition and makes Shabbat his day of rest, too. In an author’s note, Yacowitz states that the book is based on Rabbi Yohanan ben Torta, “a beloved teacher who lived in Israel almost two thousand years ago, when the Romans ruled the Holy Land” and who, according to lore, converted to Judaism after buying a cow from a Jewish farmer. The author employs simple, accessible language that roots the story in time and place, with believable, sympathetic characters. Hawkes’ detailed acrylic depictions of Shoshi’s and the brown-skinned humans’ facial and body expressions are humorous and thoroughly delightful. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A lovely evocation of Shabbat traditions. (author’s note) (Religious picture book. 4-9)

Kirkus Reviews