My Father's Paradise: A Son's Search for His Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq


Ariel Sabar - 2008
    Mostly illiterate, they were self-made mystics and gifted storytellers and humble peddlers who dwelt in harmony with their Muslim and Christian neighbors in the mountains of northern Iraq. To these descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel, Yona Sabar was born. Yona's son Ariel grew up in Los Angeles, where Yona had become an esteemed professor, dedicating his career to preserving his people’s traditions. Ariel wanted nothing to do with his father’s strange immigrant heritage—until he had a son of his own.Ariel Sabar brings to life the ancient town of Zakho, discovering his family’s place in the sweeping saga of Middle-Eastern history. This powerful book is an improbable story of tolerance and hope set in what today is the very center of the world’s attention.

When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons


Julie Fogliano - 2016
    Summer swims move over for autumn sweaters until the snow comes back again. In Julie Fogliano's skilled hand and illustrated by Julie Morstad's charming pictures, the seasons come to life in this gorgeous and comprehensive book of poetry.

The First Thanksgiving


Jean Craighead George - 1993
    The Pawtuxet Indians thought of it as the Green Corn Dance. But the first Thanksgiving was much more than that.Join Newbery Medalist Jean Craighead George and beloved illustrator Thomas Locker as they trace the passage of time from the melting of the glaciers that created Cape Cod and Plymouth Rock, to the moment the Pawtuxet Indians and the Pilgrims met and feasted on the bounty of the New World.From the simple text to the lush illustrations, the story of a harvest feast turned beloved tradition will captivate readers young and old."Correcting misconceptions and clarifying contemporary attitudes, this beautiful book brings fresh insight and a fairer balance to the traditional story."--Kirkus Reviews

Raisel's Riddle


Erica Silverman - 1999
    She learned it from her grandfather, a poor scholar who taught her. When he dies, Raisel finds work in the home of a rabbi. His jealous cook makes Raisel toil from sunup to sundown. And as the Jewish holiday of Purim approaches, Raisel works even harder. The rabbi's son presides over the Purim dinner, and Raisel listens closely when he responds to riddles posed by his guests. Is it possible that this young man can answer Raisel's riddle? Erica Silverman's lively retelling of the Cinderella story features a heroine for whom knowledge is as essential to happiness as love. In striking paintings, Susan Gaber captures all her beauty, external and internal.

For This We Left Egypt?: A Passover Haggadah for Jews and Those Who Love Them


Dave Barry - 2017
    There are endless stories, frequent hand washing, and not enough eating. The book you hold before you is no ordinary Haggadah. For This We Left Egypt? is a hilarious and entertaining parody from the comedic minds of Dave Barry, Alan Zweibel, and Adam Mansbach. These award-winning comedy writers take you through every step of the Seder, from getting rid of all the chametz in your house by setting it on fire with a standard blowtorch (preferably outdoors), to breaking the middle matzah—that is, if you can find a piece that isn’t already broken, to a hilariously absurd retelling of the Passover story featuring Pharaoh Schmuck, a burning bush that sounds kind of like Morgan Freeman, and the Promised Land which turned out not to be a land of milk and honey but rather one of rocks and venomous scorpions the size of Yorkshire terriers. Also included are useless commentary, absurd two-color illustrations, and thought-provoking discussion questions throughout such as: Is Manischewitz considered a plague? Publishing just in time for Passover, this book will be the perfect gift book from G-d that you’ll want to share and laugh over with friends and family.

Latkes, Latkes, Good to Eat: A Chanukah Story


Naomi Howland - 1999
    On the first night of Chanukah, Sadie performs a generous act, and in turn receives a frying pan that cooks up sizzling hot, golden latkes on command. Sadie tells her brothers never to use the magic pan, but when she goes out one afternoon, the mischievous boys can't resist. They remember the words to start the pan cooking . . . but what were the words to make it stop? This humorous tale of generosity and greed is accompanied by bright, cheerful illustrations depicting a traditional Russian village. An author's note and a recipe for Sadie's latkes are included.

Permission To Believe: Four Rational Approaches to God's Existence


Lawrence Kelemen - 1990
    Four Approaches to God's Existence

Snow White Stories Around the World: 4 Beloved Tales


Jessica S. Gunderson - 2014
    Visit Albania, Germany, Mozambique, and Turkey, and find out who meets 40 dragons instead of seven dwarfs, and on whose forehead a bright star shines.

The Little Leprechaun Who Loved Yellow!


Sally Huss - 2013
    But unlike most leprechauns he just loves yellow. He loves all the colors of the rainbow, but he loves yellow best. This love causes him to,"follow the rainbow," to its end in hopes of finding the pot of gold -- the finest yellow of all. What he found was far better than gold. And happily his mother makes something for him that adds to his delight. This is a wonderful bedtime story that your child will want to hear or read again and again. And, if you are fans of the books by ,"Dr. Seuss, Mo Willems, Sandra Boynton, the Berenstains, Suzy Spafford, Felicia Bond, Laura Numeroff, and P.D. Eastman," you will love THE LITTLE LEPRECHAUN WHO LOVED YELLOW! If this sounds like something you'd like to explore further,"click on the cover," of the book to look "Inside the Book." From the Author: I write children's books to help brighten the lives of children and add a little dollop of wisdom in the process. Children need good habits, handy skills, and a good sense of humor to keep them moving forward in a happy, healthy, and productive manner. As a King Features syndicated author, I have been creating positive and inspirational messages, called "Happy Musings" for newspapers in the U.S. and Canada for many years. This has led to my writing and illustrating a great number of uplifting books for both adults and children. Along with my writing and illustrating, I have created collections of wallpaper for children baby bibs, t-shirts and a vast number of prints and original art for children's rooms. As a King Features syndicated author, I have been creating positive and inspirational messages, called "Happy Musings,"for newspapers in the U.S. and Canada for many years. This has led to my writing and illustrating a great number of uplifting books for both adults and children. Along with my writing and illustrating, through the years I have created collections of wallpaper for children, baby bibs, t-shirt designs, and a vast number of prints and original art for children's rooms. Here are a few more of the Sally Huss line of books: *THE MERMAID TEA PARTY (about Kindness and Manners) http://amzn.to/L04JrH *THE SECRET (Manners and Saying "Please") http://amzn.to/RUHto5 *HOW THE COW JUMPED OVER THE MOON (Trying Something New) http://amzn.to/N2CT1K *THANKSGIVING DINNER (About Thankfulness and Friendship) http://amzn.to/KQH9g3 *THE TREE-WITHIN-THE-TREE (About Friendship and Appreciation) http://amzn.to/N2E5lK and more... Here are a few reviewsof the book: Teacher: "This book has fabulous high-level vocabulary for children to access. Especially great text to use with English Language Learners too! The short length of text makes it a winner for small, guided reading groups in elementary grades. Loved it - but of course - I'm Irish too!" Catherine: "I use this story with toddlers and preschooler. One of the activities they love is making their leprechaun hat the color that THEY love." Matthew Machuca: "A fun and easy read for a second grade boy. Kept his interest for a quick March book report! BUY IT!"

Suddenly Jewish: Jews Raised as Gentiles Discover Their Jewish Roots


Barbara Kessel - 2000
    One man as he was studying for the priesthood. Madeleine Albright famously learned from the Washington Post when she was named Secretary of State. "What is it like to find out you are not who you thought you were?" asks Barbara Kessel in this compelling volume, based on interviews with over 160 people who were raised as non-Jews only to learn at some point in their lives that they are of Jewish descent. With humor, candor, and deep emotion, Kessel's subjects discuss the emotional upheaval of refashioning their self-image and, for many, coming to terms with deliberate deception on the part of parents and family. Responses to the discovery of a Jewish heritage ranged from outright rejection to wholehearted embrace. For many, Kessel reports, the discovery of Jewish roots confirmed long-held suspicions or even, more mysteriously, conformed to a long-felt attraction toward Judaism. For some crypto-Jews in the southwest United States (descendants of Jews who fled the Spanish Inquisition), the only clues to their heritage are certain practices and traditions handed down through the generations, whose significance may be long since lost. In Poland and other parts of eastern Europe, many Jews who were adopted as infants to save them from the Holocaust are now learning of their heritage through the deathbed confessions of their adoptive parents. The varied responses of these disparate people to a similar experience, presented in their own words, offer compelling insights into the nature of self-knowledge. Whether they had always suspected or were taken by surprise, Kessel's respondents report that confirmation of their Jewish heritage affected their sense of self and of their place in the world in profound ways. Fascinating, poignant, and often very funny, Suddenly Jewish speaks to crucial issues of identity, selfhood, and spiritual community.

The Barmy British Empire And The Blitzed Brits


Terry Deary - 2002
    "The Blitzed Brits" describes what life was like for the people who stayed at home in World War Two, including foul food facts about rotten rationing and awful evacuation tales. Both books are crammed full of curious quizzes, rotten recipes, gruesome games and terrible tests ...for teachers!

Cinderella Liberator


Rebecca Solnit - 2019
    In this modern twist on the classic story, Cinderella, who would rather just be Ella, meets her fairy godmother, goes to a ball, and makes friends with a prince. But that is where the familiar story ends. Instead of waiting to be rescued, Cinderella learns that she can save herself and those around her by being true to herself and standing up for what she believes.

Groundhog Gets a Say


Pamela Curtis Swallow - 2005
    With the help of a few of his fans, Groundhog is ready to tell everything about himself, from how loud he can whistle (loud), to how fast he can run (not fast), to how many things he uses his teeth for (a lot). Groundhog may be full of himself, but chances are good that, by the end of this book, you'll agree he's pretty wonderful! From the illustrator of the Junie B. Jones books and the author of the Melvil & Dewey books comes a funny, fact-filled look at what happens when one very proud groundhog speaks out.

Crazy Stupid Money (Kindle Single)


Rachel Shukert - 2015
    On social media and beyond, we dish on all aspects of our personal lives: our relationships, our children, our sex lives, our health. But there's one thing that no one ever mentions-- our money. How much do we actually have? Who makes it? And how does that make us feel about ourselves? These are the uncomfortable questions that Rachel Shukert managed to avoid for years, buffered from the gnawing anxiety of her patched-together freelance living by the comfortable salary of her loving and successful husband. But when a sudden change in circumstances forced her to step up and start supporting her family for the first time, she had to face the depth of her phobias about money for the first time, and truth about the damage they had caused to her relationship. It wasn't pretty. Plates were thrown. Police were called. Accountants were vomited on -- or at least, near. And a marriage was pushed to the breaking point by the curious power that money -- or the lack of it -- has in our lives. Hilarious, painful, and searingly honest, CRAZY STUPID MONEY tells the hard truth about all the things that married people (not to mention not-quite-successful creative freelancers) never talk about but desperately wish someone would. The story of how one couple broke themselves down and struggled to come back together again, it's an unflinching look at what we talk about when we DON'T talk about money -- and how alone it makes us feel.RACHEL SHUKERT is a television writer living in Los Angeles. She is the author of five books, including the memoir EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE GREAT and the Kindle Single LET ME BE YOUR STAR. You can follow her on Twitter At @RachelShukertCover Design by Adil Dara

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Real-Life Tales of Black Girl Magic


Lilly Workneh - 2021