Do you know what the following items have in common?
- Costumes
- King Ahashuerus
- Hamantaschen
- Queen Ester
- Megillah
- Groggers
- Mordechai
- Haman
- Adar
Each of the words above is related in one way or another to the Jewish holiday of Purim. On the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar, Jewish people all over the world will celebrate the story of Queen Esther. Celebrations will include carnivals, dressing up in costumes, eating hamantaschen, and reading the Megillah. During the reading of the Megillah, we are told to be loud, and make a lot of noise with graggers each time we hear Haman’s name uttered. The celebration is fun and really gets the community involved. More about Purim will be on my blog this coming Sunday, so please be sure to stop by.
The boys adore going to shul to celebrate Purim. They love to dress up, make noise, and learn more about the holidays. Thanks to books, we are able to read more about Purim and begin the celebration before the reading of the Megillah. Recently, Kar-Ben sent me a copy of their new book The Queen Who Saved Her People to read and review with my family.
More about The Queen Who Saved Her People:
From Press Release
Perfect for presenting as a Purim shpiel at any Purim party, The Queen Who Saved Her People is a new adaptation of the well known Purim story. And it’s never been more fun than this! This irreverently-illustrated rhyming tale is a wonderful read-aloud book, and its color-coded dialogue is perfect for Readers Theater performances.
The book can be read as a regular story or acted out with an ensemble of voices and actors, telling the rollicking story of Purim. The book is available in affordable paperback so it’s easy to buy enough copies for each child or grownup in the play. By the author/illustrator team of Tilda Balsley and Ilene Richard, creators of the popular Let My People Go!
The Queen Who Saved Her People – Written by Tilda Balsley – Illustrated by Ilene Rochard – Kar-Ben Publishing – Spring 2011 – ISBN 978-0-7613-5093-4 – $7.95 (paperback) – Ages 4-8
What We Thought:
The boys always enjoy reading books about Purim. At 7, NHL knows the general story and liked the idea of using the book for a play. He enjoyed pointing out the people within the illustrations and telling me additional items that he knows about the story of Purim. He was able to add more details about Queen Esther and the bad deeds that Haman had planned to do to the people.
JSL is almost 4 and the book had a little too much information to keep his interest. To keep him involved, I had JSL practice making noise each time he heard Haman’s name during the story. He was able to follow the characters moving in the story thanks to the bright and colorful depictions.
Here is a look inside the book:
As a teacher, I love the idea of Readers Theater. I could see this book being used in a Hebrew School classroom as enrichment, or for a performance in front of others. I would definitely recommend this book for older children, those in elementary school who are able to read and have more fun with this.
What have you read recently? Please be sure to link up to your Book Posts, and/or leave a comment below. Include something you read on your own, with a child or someone else. Tuesday Tales are all about spreading the love for books.
Disclosure: I received this book complimentary of Kar-Ben Publishing in order to facilitate this review. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own. One widget within the review is for my Amazon Affiliate where I will receive a percentage of money for the sale of the books should you opt to buy the book mentioned.
