Books

A New Collection of Middle Grade Midrash!

Maybe It Happened this Way: Bible Stories Reimagined

Written with co-author Erica Wovsaniker
Illustrated by Katherine Messenger

Take a fresh look at the Bible stories you think you know, retold using the Jewish concept of midrash.

Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Moses. We think we know their stories, but the Bible tells us only part of it. What if we could see the full picture?

Maybe it happened this way.

This is a modern take on Bible stories, with relatable characters; not earnest and reverent, but not transgressive either. It explores timeless themes of interest to kids, including fairness, sibling rivalry, perseverance, forgiveness, courage. Maybe It Happened This Way also covers many lesser-known narratives and lifts up the stories of women in the Bible as well.

Includes an introduction explaining of the Jewish concept of midrash--stories created to add new layers to our understanding of the Bible; a discussion guide with questions; an index of values; and a guide to sources for each Bible story.

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The Moving Box Sukkah

A boy and his mom find a creative way to make a new apartment in a new city feel like a bit more like home as they prepare to celebrate the fall holiday of Sukkot.
Everything is different and nothing feels like home for a boy who has moved to a new city with his mom. As they unpack together, he can't find his special blue blanket, he misses his old yard, and he worries that they won't be able to celebrate holidays as they once did. Calm and sensitive guidance from his mom, who describes how the Israelites had to move and adapt to new surroundings throughout the ages, also includes some hilarious ideas from the rabbis of long ago as they tried to imagine where it might be possible to build a sukkah--the temporary hut where ancient Israelites sheltered during their pilgrimages. The boy begins to see that different isn't necessarily worse, and a new place can begin to feel more like home, especially when family is together.

Queen Vashti's Comfy Pants

"A feminist spin on a biblical event . . . A well-crafted revision sure to spark discussion." -Kirkus Reviews

Why did Queen Vashti, the other Purim royal, refuse to obey her king's commands? Although the traditional biblical text gives us no real clue, this story humorously imagines what it might have been like for a Queen to stand up for herself against a string of high-handed demands. In doing so, it demonstrates to children the value of understanding the worth of their own needs and desires (Apples and Honey Press, 2021).

Read another review in The Sydney Taylor Schmooze!

The World Needs Beautiful Things

"A young boy’s love for nature reminds the adults around him to appreciate the simpler things." - Kirkus Reviews

Young Bezalel is different from the other Israelites in Egypt. He loves to collect stones, bugs, bits of string—these all seem beautiful to him. He keeps everything in his Beautiful Things Box and takes the box with him everywhere. As the Israelites wander in the desert, God asks them to build a very special house. Is Bezalel the one to create something beautiful enough to honor God?