No Rules for Michael

by Sylvia A. Rouss, Susan Simon (Illustrator)

Michael thinks school would be more fun without rules and gets his wish. But is it exactly what he was hoping for?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Jewish

24 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Leib Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

*So* close to producing an insightful book

Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2020

The author of this book was so close to having a book that would work for 100% of Jews.

As it happens, this book has two big problem.... And they are that:

1. The name of G-d is spelled out. (Big No-No for Orthodox Jews.)

2. They don't use the term in common parlance for the Jewish G-d, which is "Hashem."

Other than that, the book was at a very appropriate reading level (easy enough to understand, but with enough novel words for further discussion / growth) and the illustrations were great.

In addition, it had that certain je ne sais quoi that made my son choose it.

[Julie Ditton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sylvia Rouss has written a cute story that simplifies the concept of the ten commandments in a way that any child can appreciate. A teacher explains that they are simply the rules that God has given the Jewish people. When she discusses the rules at school, Michael states that life would be more fun without rules. But when the rules are removed for the day, he soon realizes that it isn't fun at all. With the ten commandments at the beginning of the story, this is a perfect book for Shavuot. But the holiday is not actually mentioned in the story and the life lessons make the book great for any time of the year.

[Rachel Engwall · Rating 4 out of 5]

No Rules for Michael is a good book to teach children about why there are rules. This could teach children about the rules in either the classroom or at home. Many kids tend to ask "why" multiple times when you ask them to do something, such as sit down or put their stuff away. This book may cause them to think next time of why you would like them to do those things, whether it is for safety, for others, or a number of other things. It is an easily relatable, fiction book for the younger elementary ages. I would probably bring this book out at the beginning of the school year when setting rules for my classroom.

Sylvia A. Rouss is a very popular author in children's books around Jewish culture. As an insider, she knows how to especially relate to children that have a Jewish culture, however she does not exclude many other children in her story.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple story illustrating the need for rules in society. A perfect book for Shavuos. 3.5 stars.