Out Of The Land...

Whatever form it may take, there is nothing good about the word slavery; conjuring visions of horror in a person's mind when it is read or heard.  Thinking of one human stripping another of their basic freedoms; forcing them to live under the absolute control of another is unthinkable.  More than three thousand years ago, people numbering in the hundreds of thousands were freed from the bonds of slavery by a series of unprecedented events.

The deliverance of the Israelites from their oppression under the Pharaoh's rule in Egypt is observed by the Jewish people each year during Passover.  Last week during the #SharpSchu book club hosted on Twitter, books written by Laurel Snyder were the topic of discussion.  Her new picture book The Longest Night: A Passover Story (Schwartz & Wade Books) with illustrations by Catia Chien was part of the hour's conversation.  At one point Laurel Snyder said of this title, Jewish books are something I feel strongly about. I do them when I find what feels like a "hole" in canon.

Every morning with the light...

Came another day like night.

In the heat and blowing sand,

Each gray dawn my work began...

Through the narrative of a young girl, not privy to the workings of the adult world nor the conversations between Moses and Pharaoh, we readers get an intimate, immediate sense of the conditions in which the Hebrew people lived, especially the children.   It is a world of unspeakable hardship and toil; laughter, running and play were absent.  Wondering about freedom, however, was very much present.

One day everything changed.  With the intuition of a child she could sense it in her mother's voice. The water in the rivers and streams turned to blood.  The first of ten plagues had visited the land.

As each of the remaining nine plagues struck Egypt and the Egyptians, we experience it as she did; trying to catch one of the frogs, seeing those who caused her misery, miserable from the air filled with fleas, lying fearful in bed as beasts roamed the streets, watching as the cattle, lambs and goats sickened and died, wondering as an illness struck the masters too, comforting her sister as fiery hail fell, noticing her father whittle as locusts swarmed, sitting safe in her home filled with light as darkness stayed for days---the longest night.

When a lamb is killed, its blood is smeared above the door by her father.  This is new to her as are the piercing cries of grief filling the air that awakened them later.  Quickly now her family joined all the other slaves, fled the land, crossed the sand, until they reached the sea.  She and the others raced between the parted waters, hearts pounding as the other side is reached.  Oh the joy of freedom.  Oh the joy...

Laurel Snyder using rhyming couplets for nearly the entire narrative gives readers a truer emotional sense of being a Jewish slave girl during these significant events.  We are keenly aware of her physical surroundings, her family and her observations.  There is an underlying sense, despite the horrific plagues and true fear on the part of the girl and her sister, of peace and protection for her people; a strength shown by her mother continuing to sing and her father whittling.  As the plagues worsen an urgency builds in the telling until it bursts forth in the flight, the sea pulling back to create a pathway and in the unrestrained happiness these people feel knowing their escape, their freedom, is real.  

This couplet is particularly telling.

How I danced along the shore,

Never having danced before!

When opening the jacket and cover we see images from the book; the girl wondering about the freedom of a dove on the front and on the back the family in flight with four lines from the story beneath.  The opening endpapers depict the shades of a darkened sky, the slavery of the people, but the closing endpapers picture a light, bright new day signifying the freedom of the Jewish people from the Pharaoh of Egypt.  A small square framed by white space appears under the title on that page, happy young girls hands clasped.

Rendered in acrylics by Catia Chien the illustrations alternate between two pages or a full page with a smaller inset on the opposite side.  Her color palette and image perspectives evoke as much emotion as the text within the context of the setting; we feel the dust and heat of the desert, we sense the desperation and pain of the slaves and the terror of the plagues; frogs jumping out of the pages, a close-up of the wolf face, the loss of the animals' lives spread over a gray bleakness or the small home, a single light burning, as it is enveloped in darkness.  The final illustration, hues of red, rose, bathing the landscape and people, a favorite, is as jubilant and glorious as the words written.

In preparation for this review I did read other books written for children about the celebration of Passover but none compare to The Longest Night: A Passover Story written by Laurel Snyder with illustrations by Catia Chien.  Laurel Snyder has given us her heart's desire; a title depicting how a Jewish child would feel before and during the Exodus.  In her Author's Note, at the book's beginning, she offers an explanation for this writing along with the definitions of a few words readers might not know.

Another comment made during the #SharpSchu book club chat to John Schumacher aka Mr. Schu was this, Explaining Passover is hard.  This was why I wanted to do the book so much.  Pictures can accomplish what words can't.  Yes, but these words are so lovely they make pictures in your mind.  I know, I've read this book again and again silently and aloud.  Please follow this link to an interview at Watch. Connect. Read. with Laurel Snyder as well as this link to an interview at Publishers Weekly.

Note:  Received a tweet today in my feed from Laurel Snyder about an interview at The Revealer.  This is an excellent audio conversation; her voice depicting her passion for this title and other topics of importance to her.

For A Tree, A Gift

You can never underestimate the value of trees.  There's no better place to rest and see the world than high among the whispering leaves. Leaves which having turned vibrant colors are now coating the ground below, providing shelter and warmth for smaller creatures.  Whole worlds live beneath the bark of trees.

From trees we've built our homes, vehicles for transportation, and created works of art upon their paper.  With every breath we take, we owe them thanks.  A Jewish holiday, Tu B'Shevat, celebrated on the fifteenth of the Jewish calendar month, Shevat, is known as the New Year for Trees.

At this time of year, January or February on the Gregorian calendar, it is spring in Israel, trees are beginning to blossom.  Happy Birthday, Tree!:  A Tu B'Shevat Story (Albert Whitman & Company, August 2012) written by Madelyn Rosenberg with illustrations by Jana Christy pays homage to this celebration through the mind and deeds of a girl.  Her young heart is wise for her years.

Joni climbed the tree that grew tall and quiet in her front yard.  

Even though it's the tree's birthday, Joni is convinced the tree is not happy.  How could it even know about this special day?  After singing Happy Birthday in Hebrew and English with no response, she has one of those "light bulb" moments.

She quickly enlists the help of her neighbor and friend Nate, in planning a party for the tree complete with gifts.  With each present, water poured from a watering can, sunshine from blowing clouds away, a rather large cupcake formed from dirt, and a treasured souvenir hung from its branches, the tree seems to be a little bit happier. The perfect gift has yet to be delivered though.

Pretending to be companion trees is a little exhausting for the two friends, so with the help of her mother and Nate, it's off to the nursery.  Step by careful step, the smaller tree finds a new home snug in the ground near the tree in Joni's front yard.  Now the party can begin for all the trees with the best gift of all---the truthfully spoken words of a child.


Madelyn Rosenberg has created a character so vibrant, full of life, you want to jump in the pages and be with her.  Her concern for the tree, for this celebration, permeates her every action.  Joni's friend, Nate, her mother and father are more than willing to offer their support; her energy is so infectious.

A lightness, a cozy warmth, flows through the narrative.  A strong sense of place and purpose is apparent in the dialogue between the characters and in everything they do. A good story is only as good as the choice of words; the way the author uses language.

Here are a couple of examples.

"What else?" asked Joni.
"Sunshine," Nate said.  "Sunshine isn't boring."
They looked up.  Clouds covered the sun.
"Blow," Joni said. Joni and Nate blew and blew until the sun peeked out.

They placed the tree in the hole and gently removed the burlap.  When they were sure the tree was comfortable, they patted the dirt back into place.


According to an interview posted here, Jana Christy works digitally to make her pictures using Axiotron Modbook and Corel Painter, Photoshop and digital collage.  There is a softness to her work pairing nicely with the text.  Splashes of red, yellow, purple, and turquoise help the characters to pop against a watercolor-like background of more natural colors.

Front and back endpapers take a single-page image from within the book, extending it to a double-page spread, suggestions written on the branches encouraging people to help care for our earth.  Christy alters the illustrations' sizes at times bleeding them to the page edge or across the gutter as a background for another.  Smaller images are more casually shaped and framed with white space.  There is notable attention to detail consistent with the book's story; the father arriving home carrying items in two recycle bags.


Readers will come away from the reading of Happy Birthday, Tree!:  A Tu B'Shevat Story written by Madelyn Rosenberg with illustrations by Jana Christy with a new understanding of this Jewish celebration as well as making choices to protect our planet.  It will be easy for them to catch the joy of Joni's views and know they, too, can make a difference.  I highly recommend this for use in the study of New Year celebrations, Arbor Day, or Earth Day.  This is one of those books where the more you know about differences, you discover similarities.

I was introduced to this book by a blog post at Jama's Alphabet Soup.  I'm thinking you might also need a pattern for making hats from newspapers which can be found here and here.  If you want to see more illustrations click on the link embedded in the title above taking you to the official publisher's page.