Soosie, the Horse that Saved Shabbat
Written by Tami Lehman-Wilzig
Review
We like Soosie – the book and the horse. When the delivery boy is sick and the bakers cannot make the weekly challah delivery, they let the horse follow her route through Jerusalem herself, with a note and money box attached. She comes home hours later, empty of bread but coffers full. Readers follow her en route and witness the anxiousness of the bakers and the boy. Back matter explains the true story that inspired this retelling. It's suspenseful and sweet — a worthy addition to the animals-helping-people genre.
One characteristic in picture books I've been deliberately seeking is depictions of faith in everyday life, not just major holidays. That's something I liked about Sarah's Solo, and it's one aspect of Soosie, the Horse that Saved Shabbat that recommends it. Not only do we have a heartwarming and, frankly, amazing tale of a horse who made deliveries with no driver, but we also have a regular Shabbat practice front and center. It's like, here's this bakery whose Jewish owners provide their neighborhood in Jerusalem with challah for Shabbat. No big deal about the humans – the special part is the horse saving the day. In the world of book publishing, it can be hard to find authentic representations of religion (I'm looking at your Easter celebration, Llama Llama*), so Kalaniot offers something unique as a Jewish publishing house.
T and I both love Soosie's story and the true story of Angel's Bakery in Israel that inspired the picture book. T particularly enjoys the expressive illustrations; the depiction of how sick the delivery boy is is his favorite.
*We own and regularly read Llama Llama Easter Egg year-round. Hypocritical of me? Maybe. Or maybe we just like Llama Llama and get our Resurrection stories from the Bible and paschal picture books.
Note: A review copy was provided upon request for the purpose of this honest review.
Illustrated by Menahem Halberstadt
Published by Kalaniot Books, March 2, 2021
Review
We like Soosie – the book and the horse. When the delivery boy is sick and the bakers cannot make the weekly challah delivery, they let the horse follow her route through Jerusalem herself, with a note and money box attached. She comes home hours later, empty of bread but coffers full. Readers follow her en route and witness the anxiousness of the bakers and the boy. Back matter explains the true story that inspired this retelling. It's suspenseful and sweet — a worthy addition to the animals-helping-people genre.
One characteristic in picture books I've been deliberately seeking is depictions of faith in everyday life, not just major holidays. That's something I liked about Sarah's Solo, and it's one aspect of Soosie, the Horse that Saved Shabbat that recommends it. Not only do we have a heartwarming and, frankly, amazing tale of a horse who made deliveries with no driver, but we also have a regular Shabbat practice front and center. It's like, here's this bakery whose Jewish owners provide their neighborhood in Jerusalem with challah for Shabbat. No big deal about the humans – the special part is the horse saving the day. In the world of book publishing, it can be hard to find authentic representations of religion (I'm looking at your Easter celebration, Llama Llama*), so Kalaniot offers something unique as a Jewish publishing house.
T and I both love Soosie's story and the true story of Angel's Bakery in Israel that inspired the picture book. T particularly enjoys the expressive illustrations; the depiction of how sick the delivery boy is is his favorite.
*We own and regularly read Llama Llama Easter Egg year-round. Hypocritical of me? Maybe. Or maybe we just like Llama Llama and get our Resurrection stories from the Bible and paschal picture books.
Note: A review copy was provided upon request for the purpose of this honest review.
Comments
Post a Comment