My Israel and Me Book Review

My Israel and Me

Written by Alice Blumenthal McGinty

Illustrated by Rotem Teplow
Expected publication by Kalaniot Books: September 21, 2021

Review
My Israel and Me is an introduction to the diverse population of Israel. A little girl greets readers and introduces herself. On the following pages, readers accompany her as she meets citizens from all walks of life — a kibbutz resident, an Arab woman heeding the call to prayer, pilgrims visiting the Mount of Olives, as well as a city cat of Jerusalem. A smaller sidebar provides factual data, such as what a kibbutz is, why refugees journey to Israel, who is to blame/thank for the cats, and why Israel is called the "Start-up Nation."

Before we travel to Israel, I cleared out our library's collection of children's books on that country. My Israel and Me is exactly what I am looking for. The balance between factual information and fictional characters keeps a young audience interested and engaged. Before our Thailand trip some years ago, I found some truly mind-numbing introductory books. I was so bored reading them that I don't know how they got past the editor. My Israel and Me is a worthy addition to the genre of country-introductions. Certainly, we will be reading other books to prepare for our upcoming Jerusalem trip, but this is an outstanding place to start. Yeah. I really like this one for kindergarten T.  

Note: A review copy was provided upon request for the purpose of this honest review.