What sets this picture book apart is the focus on traditional Jewish family practice. The Steins observe Shabbat (Sabbath) every Friday evening. Rebecca is formally converted to Judaism with a visit to the mikvah, the ritual bath, where after she is immersed three times, she receives her Hebrew name, Rivka Shoshanah.
This is a simple story, lovingly told and illustrated. The author has been a preschool, Hebrew and Judaics teacher. Like Mrs. Stein, she has a daughter adopted from Vietnam. Michelle Shapiro's illustrations move the story along with her cheerful yet evocative drawings. Her renderings of people will remind you a little of Amedeo Modigliani's work with their longish faces and noses — and it all works.
Rebecca's Journey Home concludes with a restatement of who Rebecca is. "She is Vietnamese, American, and Jewish." And Mrs. Stein wisely adds, "And she'll be many more things someday." Very nicely done.
A perfect storybook for Jewish families with adopted children ages 4 to 8. Traditional Jewish families will especially like its focus on normative Jewish family practices and the centrality of Jewish observance.
For more on the Jewish Community's "global big tent", you'll want to visit Tapestry: Weaving the Multicultural Threads of Jewish Identity. We're a whole lot more than bagels and blintzes, baby!
Article comments
1 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States. Nice work!