Самая маленькая гора

by Barb Rosenstock, Барб Розенсток

Russian Book. Knizhniki. 24. 2020. Hardcover.

Genres: Picture Books, Jewish, Childrens

24 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lovely picture books uses folkstory-like narrative and beautiful artwork to tell the story of how God chose Mount Sinai from which to give the Ten Commandments to the Israelites. All of the mountains got together to try to see who would have the honor of helping God - Mount Carmel boasted about its beauty, Mount Hermon bragged about its size, and Mount Tabor was sure that it was the most majestic. Mount Sinai was so much smaller and less impressive than the other mountains, it didn't even try to compete. According to the author's note - "This story is adapted from The Contest of the Mountains, a legend in the Midrash (Bereshit Rabbah 99:1). The ancient rabbis were trying to explain why Mount Sinai was chosen as the site of the giving of the Ten Commandments. Their explanation attributes human characteristics to the mountains of the world. The locations of the mountains, however, do not all correspond to the geography of the Middle East." Among the reasons given by God for choosing Mount Sinai in this book were its humility, peacefulness, and trust in God. This would be a nice book to share with young readers as part of a discussion of these and other Fruits of the Spirit.

[Margaret Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another PJ Library book, this one for Shavuot which retells a midrash (story not in the Bible but enhances the storyline) about which mountain G-d will choose for the giving of the 10 Commandments. Each mountain presents its case. We may know the answer already, but why is Mount Sinai chosen? Why are the other mountains not? Told in easy language it makes a good point. It also could be useful to teach some Israel geography. The illustrations are lovely and I found their watercolors to be calming. Added bonuses: the flaps have a recipe for blintzes, a description of Shavuot and discussion questions to jumpstart conversations with young kids. This book is a win!

[Leib Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 out of 5 stars

A parent's review

Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2020

This book works well for our kids in the sense that they like the colors and illustrations.

It does not work very well in the sense that the vocabulary is just a bit too fancy for the suggested age range.

Verdict: Not recommended.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute depiction of the well-known midrash about Har Sinai, it was a nice read for Parshat Yitro, although wildly irrelevant in its wording to my three year olds. I found myself rephrasing pretty much the entire thing based on what it said. I’d recommend this book for kindergarten or even first grade.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice retelling of a Midrash story of how Mount Sinai was chosen as the place for the giving of the ten commandments. Beautiful art, well-written text. And it works as a perhaps not so subtle moral tale without being more than the slight bit religious.

[Geri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is okay, but the artwork is wonderful.

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This adaptation of The Contest of the Mountains tells how God choose Mount Sinai to be the mountain where God gave the Ten Commandments to the people.

[Amanda N · Rating 5 out of 5]

My five year old understood this immediately. It was so good. Hope to add it to our shelf.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the idea of the story, that God rewards the humblest of the mountains. And I liked the explanation at the end of where this idea came from.

[Shoshanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

oh I did like this one! illustrations are fine, nothing mind blowing. the story which comes from Bereishit Rabbah, has a great message which I think is important!