“Though there are many books explaining how to celebrate the High Holy Days, this one focuses on why.”
—Booklist
“[Toby] discovers new meaning in her background and life in this warm story of self-discovery and confidences sparked by a Jewish tradition.”
—The Midwest Book Review
Help one another. Say you’re sorry. Toby remembers what her rabbi said in his sermon for Rosh Hashanah, and she plans on being a good citizen, giving to charity, apologizing for anything that might have hurt someone, and helping others. After saying “sorry” to her best friend, Donna, Toby helps her understand all of the customs involved with the Jewish New Year. Before sharing Gram’s recipe for honey cake, Toby realizes that by retelling the story of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur she learns a lot herself.
About the Author
New Orleans native Gloria Teles Pushker shares her fourth story about Toby Belfer, a Jewish girl who lives in rural Louisiana. Both Toby and Gloria know their Jewish terms and phrases and share easy-to-understand definitions with their non-Jewish friends. Pushker holds a master’s degree in education, with a concentration in children’s literature, from the University of New Orleans, and she is a member of the National Association for the Preservation and Perpetuation of Storytelling and the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education. Her other Pelican books include Toby Belfer Never Had a Christmas Tree; Toby Belfer’s Seder: A Passover Story Retold, with a combined audiocassette version also available; A Belfer Bar Mitzvah, and Toby Belfer Visits Ellis Island.
About the Illustrator
Illustrator Judith Hierstein holds a BA in art from the University of Iowa. She has illustrated all of the Gloria Teles Pushker titles released by Pelican. Hierstein believes that pictures should begin where the written word ends, and she encourages children to share in her love of learning about other cultures through illustrated books.
TOBY BELFER AND THE HIGH HOLY DAYS
By Gloria Teles Pushker
Illustrated by Judith Hierstein
JUVENILE FICTION / Holidays & Celebrations / Other, Religious
32 pp. 8 1/2 x 11
31 color illus. Glossary
ISBN: 9781565547650