“A World of Blessings: Inspirational Stories for Jewish Children” is an outstanding collection of five special stories, each with a special message of hope and inspiration, love and acceptance. Aunt Debbie’s Getting Married teaches children to accept a wide assortment of feelings that may arise when a special member of the family is marrying, and also familiarizes readers with some of the wedding customs among Jewish families. The Rabbi and the Firefighter is based on a true story of events that happened during the California wildfires in 2008. Jongau, the Dreamer is a story based on an actual rescue mission for Ethiopian Jews named Operation Solomon, which took place May 24, 1991. To save their lives, 14,000 Ethiopian Jews were flown from Ethiopia to Israel within 36 hours. Gifts of Love is a story about two children, friends from different cultural backgrounds who have the same birthday. One friend is struggling with treatments for cancer, a very serious disease, who has lost her hair due to treatments. The friends find they have much to offer each other and they have a special celebration of their mutual birthday. Shalom Safta is a story that deals with a child’s growing understanding and acceptance of the death of a beloved grandparent. Each story has special suggestions of related topics or areas children may wish to discuss further with a parent or teacher. Stories are in brief chapter formats, and sensitive colorful illustrations help celebrate the themes of each story. “A World of Blessings” is a wonderful collection of inspirational stories written not only for Jewish children, but for all children.
From the July 2013 issue of the online book review magazine “Children’s Bookwatch”