National Jewish Book Award Winner in Jewish Family Literature Category: Genesis The Book with Seventy Faces
The Jewish Book Council has awarded the National Jewish Book Award for Jewish Family Literature to Genesis the Book with Seventy Faces (Pitspopany, March 2008). Genesis the Book with Seventy Faces by Esther Takac is a beautifully written and illustrated guide to the Book of Genesis for the whole family. With its multiple layers on each page it allows children and parents to enjoy reading together and introduces families to the experience of shared Torah study. In the tradition of Jewish commentary the book provides levels of understanding - traditional and modern interpretations, legend, Kabbalah and Midrash - that invite readers to engage with the stories and become commentators themselves. This new Genesis commentary is designed for children ages 8 - 14 and their parents to learn together, and is an ideal resource for Jewish family education. It is also an excellent resource for Bar or Bat Mitzvah preparation. Questions on the page encourage children and parents to discuss the issues of morality, interpersonal relationships and philosophy raised by the text. Thus families are offered a way to connect around the Genesis stories, showing how these stories reflect our own struggles and dilemmas. Further source material and historical background are provided in margin boxes for teenagers and adults. References to all commentaries and source material are given in the endnotes. Based on the Talmudic teaching that the Torah has seventy faces, this guide to Genesis includes a wide range of commentaries and will be appreciated by Jews of all backgrounds. It helps readers navigate their way through Jewish texts and provides a gateway into the vast world of Jewish learning. About the author: Esther Takac is a psychologist and children's author. After completing her Masters in Child Psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, she specialized in child and family assessment and therapy, working in public and private practice. Esther is the author of Loni and the Moon, a children's book placed on the Victorian Premier's Reading List. She has studied Jewish texts for many years and presents workshops on Genesis. Title: Genesis The Book with Seventy Faces: A Guide for the Family Author: Esther Takac Publisher: Pitspopany Press Pub date: March, 2008 Pages: 240 ISBN: 978-932687-92-7 Price: $29.95 This book is available through Ingram, Baker & Taylor or via the publisher directly: FAX: 1 866 205 3966 Schools and libraries are eligible for discounts. Please call 1-212-444-1657 to order. --- Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) =========================================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: hasaf...@osu.edu SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: Listproc @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: galron.1 @ osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html History: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/history.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org
