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Esther
Retells the Old Testament story of how the young Jewish girl, Esther, became queen of Persia and used her influence to stop the evil minister Haman from killing all the Jews. The feast of Purim commemorates this event.
31 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1987
12 people want to read
About the author
Miriam Chaikin
50 books6 followersMiriam Chaikin was born in Jerusalem and raised in New York. She served as editor-in-chief of children s books in various publishing houses and has published over thirty books for children of all ages. In 1984 she won the Sydney Taylor Award for Body of Work.
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June 14, 2019
Purim, the Jewish festival celebrating the story of Esther, who used her position as Queen of Persia to save her people from extermination, falls on the fourteenth day of the Hebrew month Adar, which, as it happens, is tomorrow, the tenth of March. I was reminded of this while visiting my public library this past weekend, and selected a few titles from the Purim display in the children's section.
Published in 1987, Esther is actually Miriam Chaikin's second book devoted to the topic, the first being the 1983 Make Noise, Make Merry: The Story and Meaning of Purim , which gives both the story of Esther and a history of the festival of Purim. This lovely picture book concentrates on the story itself: how Esther, a beautiful young Jewish girl living in Shushan, the capital city of the Persian Empire, was chosen to be King Ahasuerus' new bride. How, at the behest of her Cousin Mordecai, Esther hid her Jewish heritage, although she remained loyal in her heart. And how, when the evil Haman - the king's chief minister - plotted to have all the Jews in the empire put to death, Esther risked her own life to intercede on their behalf.
I enjoyed Chaikin's smooth retelling of this well-known and well-loved biblical tale, and appreciated the beauty of the book itself, with the text laid out in a lovely font, and decorative initial letters placed at the beginning of each page. The pencil illustrations by Vera Rosenberry have a soft lyrical quality, making this feel almost like a fairy-tale.
Published in 1987, Esther is actually Miriam Chaikin's second book devoted to the topic, the first being the 1983 Make Noise, Make Merry: The Story and Meaning of Purim , which gives both the story of Esther and a history of the festival of Purim. This lovely picture book concentrates on the story itself: how Esther, a beautiful young Jewish girl living in Shushan, the capital city of the Persian Empire, was chosen to be King Ahasuerus' new bride. How, at the behest of her Cousin Mordecai, Esther hid her Jewish heritage, although she remained loyal in her heart. And how, when the evil Haman - the king's chief minister - plotted to have all the Jews in the empire put to death, Esther risked her own life to intercede on their behalf.
I enjoyed Chaikin's smooth retelling of this well-known and well-loved biblical tale, and appreciated the beauty of the book itself, with the text laid out in a lovely font, and decorative initial letters placed at the beginning of each page. The pencil illustrations by Vera Rosenberry have a soft lyrical quality, making this feel almost like a fairy-tale.
Displaying 1 of 1 review