Richard MichelsonRecensioni

I was excited to see a book about the life of Sarah Brenner/Sydney Taylor the author of the All-of-a-Kind-Family books. I loved the books as a girl and read them repeatedly. Having been raised by church-going parents, I learned things from the books I didn't know about the Jewish calendar and specific holidays. As a teacher, I have given thanks so many times for the ways Sydney Taylor's books gave me a bit of cultural capital that has served me well in my interactions with students.

That said, I didn't love One of a Kind the way I hoped I would. This is less because it's not a good book for the age range it's written for, ages 7-10, and more because what it really did was make me frustrated with myself that I've never tried to find and read a biography of Sydney Taylor written for adult audiences. The one biography of this type I've spotted is From Sarah to Sydney: The Woman Behind All-of-a-Kind Family by June Cummins and Alexandra Dunietz, which is now at the top of my TBR pile.

If you have grade-school aged kids, I strongly recommend sharing the All-of-a-Kind Family books with them. Then you can share One of a Kind with them and start them dreaming about the ways they'd like to change their world.

I received free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.

Sydney Taylor (born Sarah Brenner) "knows she is One of a Kind": born in 1904, she was the middle sister of five (later, baby brother Charlie came along). The Brenner family are German Jewish immigrants who live in New York; they are poor, but Sarah loves dance, keeps a diary, and even changes her own name from Sarah to Sydney so that people will pay attention to what she writes. She believes in women's right to vote, and becomes a socialist; she meets Ralph Taylor at a meeting of the Young People's Socialist League, and they are "two of a kind." They get married, and Sydney dances with Martha Graham for years before having a daughter - who asks why all their bedtime stories feature Christian children. So Sydney tells Jo stories from her childhood, eventually writing them down. The stories are rejected by publishers at first, but years later, Ralph sends them in to a contest, and they win first prize.

Back matter: afterword about Sydney and the All-of-A-Kind Family books, about Ralph Taylor, about Jo Taylor Marshall; author's note; sources; photographs; acknowledgments.

See also: Just Like Beverly½

Fascinating indeed!

A very short children's book which my 9 year old daughter bought to write a biography book review. The Star Trek bug rubbed off on her from me and Spock is by far her favorite character. The book has some interesting little tidbits, including the origin of the Vulcan greeting. An enjoyable read for elementary school kids and Trekkies alike.

A boy scares/reassures his younger sister about various terrors and how he'll protect her, but the scare that materializes in the doorway is their dad, who they've woken up.½

Brewster's first day of school is rife with conflict. `As the author notes, this book is a based on the fact that many young African American children were bused in the 1970's into previously all-white schools. Interestingly, Brewster, the author's character of the story told the friendly librarian he wanted to be President one day! As the author notes, he wrote the book before Barack Obama was elected the first African American president of the United States. Thus, Brewster's dream of the possibility of the potential black president occurred.

The illustrations and the story are strong, but not overpowering. This was written as a backdrop of the United States Supreme Court 's outlawing segregated schools in 1954, with the enactment of Brown vs. Board of Education. As the author notes in this book, in 1971, the Supreme Court took the mandate further and forced busing. Instead of allowing black students to attend a white school, some black children were forced to do so, and were bused far from their house. And, likewise, white students also were bused outside of their neighborhoods. This was a failed experiment, which led to violence and dissatisfaction, but black students did indeed have opportunities in previously all-white schools that were not available to them previously.

Brewster attends a previously all-white school. His first day is filled with comments from white students that his kind should go back where they belong. There were police who helped to integrate the schools. In this story, in order to control potential violence, the policeman brings students to the library. Brewster finds the library to be a safe space, and a wonderful white woman who is the librarian reaches out to him. Thus, Brewster's first day of school has a ray of sunshine that carries him forward.

From personal experience, it was a librarian in the small town school where I lived, who helped me feel safe and wanted. My skin was not black, but I had a dysfunctional childhood, and it was the librarian who welcomed me and gave me a love of reading which lasted all my life.

Highly Recommended. Four Stars!

"Two boys, one an African-American, one a Polish Jew, learn from their fathers’ pride and self-respect. Martin’s father believes in looking up instead of down: “The way things are is not the way they always have to be.” Abraham’s father tells him to “walk like a prince, not a peasant . . . we are all God’s children. You are as good as anybody.” Martin experiences the discrimination of his Southern town with “whites only” laws. Abraham witnesses the persecution of his Jewish community as the Nazis rise to power. As adults, Reverend King Jr. and Rabbi Heschel heed their parental guidance, coming together to work for America’s struggle in the civil-rights movement in this powerful, fictionalized account of 1965’s Selma-to-Montgomery march. Colón’s softly textured colored pencil-and-watercolor illustrations render the early Southern scenes in brown/yellow tones and the European settings in blue/green; the colors blend together in the final pages, bringing out the diversity of skin tones in the march for equality. Gentle, powerful and healing. (Picture book. 7-10)" A Kirkus Starred Review, www.kirkusreviews.com

This warm and insightful picture book describes how family dynamics, theatrical experiences, and Jewish upbringing influenced the choices made by the “enterprising” young man who would become an iconic actor, poet, author, and photographer. Author’s Note.

The first day of school is filled with a bit of fear and excitement for every child. But for Brewster, who is African American, it is especially momentous because he and his brother will be attending the previously all-white school across town. Through this engaging story, young readers learn about forced busing and its effects on children in the early 1970s following the Supreme Court’s decision to further the integration of schools. Author’s Note.

Good book about the experience that some black people had to go through in their daily life (being turned away from places, “whites only).

Primary. A young African American boy listens to his father tell the story of the night he was born, which was also the nigh that the Savory Ballroom in Harlem New York opened. This book gives some history of the culture of African Americans in the US in the early 1900s.

This was an interesting guy. Certainly it gives a new look to the old game of baseball or "base", as it was being called at that time. The prejudice that Lipman endured thanks to being a Jewish man from New York was certainly presented clearly here. It also interestingly brings up the idea of professional athletes who are paid for playing the game and how it initially was met with resistance. Not that I'm a big fan of where professional athletes' pay scale has gotten to now, but it was interesting to see how it came about.

This is the story of a boy named Brewster who can't wait to start the first grade until his mother tells him that he'll be going to Central, a school in the white neighborhood. When Brewster gets to school there's a bunch of white people with signs protesting the blacks arriving at the originally all-white school. They even broke one of the bus windows with a rock. As soon as Brewster walks into the school he goes to the water fountain to get some water, where a kid starts bullying him because of the color of his skin. Bryan, Brewster's brother, stands up for him, but both Bryan and Brewster still end up in detention. Miss O'Grady, the librarian, noticed Brewster picked a rocket ship book from the library and says that he'll make a great astronaut one day, but Brewster replies that he's going to be president one day. He suddenly felt stupid saying that knowing there's never been a black president before, but Miss O'Grady believes in Brewster. She explains to them that every child deserves an education and reads them a book about Kennedy, who was an Irish Catholic that became president during a time when people didn't want the Irish in their schools. Brewster returns home that day and tells her that he's going to be president one day.

This story was set in America during the mid-1950s, shortly after segregation in public schools was no longer allowed. This setting clarifies conflict between the main character and the other characters in the story since the main characters started to attend a predominately white school. I think this setting also illuminates the character, Miss O'Grady, because she was so caring of Brewster, regardless of his skin color and regardless of how the other characters treated him.

I absolutely love this book. Because this book is told from Brewster's perspective, it explains segregation in a child-friendly way and in a way that children would view it as if it were happening to them, which is really cool. I also love how kind and how much the teacher believes in Brewster despite the color of his skin. As a future teacher, I aspire to make a difference in my student's lives like Miss O'Grady did to Brewster. I think this book is a great book to read to your students when learning about segregation.

An installment of Snowpocalypse 2011 Toddler Reading Reviews.
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[return]Eh. This one didn't do much for me. I did like some of the initial illustrations, and the general concept wasn't too bad. If you want to introduce your kid to a lot of fantasy creatures and tell them that they're supposed to be scary, then this one serves well. (I don't think my 2-1/2 yo thought of witches, ghosts, etc., as "scary"; and certainly not skeletons!)

This is the amazing story of two men, advocating for non violence even though they and families received terrible cruelty and violence.
On March 21, 1965, Abraham Joshua Heschel, a prominent Rabbi, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, long a proponent of rights for blacks, joined hands to cross the bridge in Selma, Alabama. This action was for the voting rights of blacks.

Heschel came to America, fleeing the hatred of Jews at the hands of the brutal Nazi's. Sadly, while he escaped, his family was murdered in the Holocaust.

MLK, Jr. was a very strong leader and advocate for the rights of blacks...and all.

Both men were told by their father's when they were little, "You are as good as anybody." With that in mind, arms were linked and the long journey continued.

While this book focusing on a very serious matter it still manages to stay positive for the audience. I believe this would be a great book to read to a class. It does a wonderful job of showing kids to stay positive through anything life throws at them and to face new things with a smile.

The artwork was well integrated into the story and flowed in and around the text. I do not think, however, the illustrations enhanced the story nor told more than what was written. It was an enjoyable and beautifully written and illustrated story, and tells an important and not well known fact about Jewish culture and the Hebrew language.
Includes back matter: Afterword with brief history about Ben-Zion, Eliezer, Divorah, the history of Hebrew, Palestine, and suggestions for further reading.

I’m very fortunate that I came across this double biography book. We always take the rights that we have for granted, not realizing how many people fought on our behalf to earn these rights. This book tells the story of the amazing civil rights leader Martin Luther Junior and a Holocaust survivor Abraham Joshua Heschel who escaped from Nazi Germany looking for a better life in the USA, just to find out that racism in the United States can be just as bad. These two men realized that to face racism and earn their rights, they have to stand together to change the world. This will be a great book for social studies class. My favorite line in the book “I feel like my legs are praying”

As Good as Anybody is the account of two brave men who have been treated unjustly in their counties. One, the great Martin Luther King, who suffered throughout his life because of the color of his skin. The other, Abraham Joshua Heschel, a dutiful rabbi living in Berlin during Hitler’s reign was forced to leave because he was Jewish. Neither of these men was violent protestors and they believed in serving the Lord. That’s why it is shocking that anyone would treat them by the color of their skin or the religion they practice when they are such noble people. Together, these two unite and fight against the hate by marching peacefully and preaching the word of God.

This book begins by telling you about King and Heschel as children and then connects the lives of the two. I enjoyed this book. It was a good read and very informative. I did not know about Abraham Heschel and his part in the Selma march with KIng. After reading this I am interested in learning more about Heschel and his part in the Civil Rights Movement, This would be a great book to read in a classroom. While it can show students how far we have come, it could also help to start a discussion about how far we still have to go.

Abe and Willie live across the alley from each other. Willie is black and Abe is Jewish, and during the day, they don't talk. But at night they open their windows and are best friends. Willie shows Abe how to throw a real big-league slider, and Abe gives Willie his violin to try out. Then one night, Abe's grandfather catches them—will Abe and Willie have the courage to cross the alley and reveal their friendship during the day?
Like the bestselling The Other Side, E. B. Lewis's striking, atmospheric watercolors bring to life a moving story of baseball and music, and how two young people try to bridge the divide of prejudice. (amazon)

I enjoyed reading this book however it made me feel sad to reflect back on this part of our history. When reading the dates it really wasn't all that long ago that schools and public places were still segregated. I thank God for people like Miss O' Grady and who excepted people of all color and wanted them to succeed and encouraged them to try their best and believe that anything can be possible.

This book is based on the autobiography of Ben-Zion Ben-Yehuda (later calling himself Itamar Ben-Avi), whose father was instrumental in creating modern Hebrew in Israel. While the dialogue is invented, the story, according to the author’s Afterword, follows the general framework of the history later written by Ben-Yehuda.

Ben-Zion Ben-Yehuda was born in Jerusalem on July 31, 1882, the son of Deborah and Eliezer Ben-Yehuda. As a young boy, Ben-Zion spent most of his time alone, because he did not speak the same language as any of the children living nearby. His father wanted Ben-Zion to hear and speak only Hebrew, “the Language of Angels.”

In the 1880s, Hebrew was only used in scripture and religious rituals. Eliezer decided to start a school with all lessons taught in Hebrew. There was some protest from others in the community: why should they not speak Yiddish? They already knew that tongue, and besides, “Hebrew is holy and should be used only for prayer.” To use Hebrew for everyday activities seemed profane and inappropriate to them.

Eliezer argued that Yiddish was the language of the ghettos, where they were not free. He created a dictionary for Hebrew words, including many he had to make up to represent modern ideas and objects. The first volume was published in 1908. As the author explains in his note, Eliezer studied ancient languages related to Hebrew for sources, so the words would have logical roots.

In the text, Michelson explains how some of the new words came about, such as the words for ice cream and bicycle.

The Afterword also tells us that during Eliezer’s lifetime, fifty-five schools opened in Israel with all instruction conducted in Hebrew. By 1948 when the state of Israel was established, Hebrew was the national language.

The illustrator, Karla Gudeon, created vibrant and kid-friendly digitized watercolors in a folkloric style that show the words by what they define, as well as depicting them as building blocks.

Evaluation: It is so interesting to see how a new language gets established. The author manages to simplify the process in a way that makes it understandable to a young audience. Adults will have much to discuss with children who read this, such as the role language plays in uniting a community, and the way it needs to evolve and grow to remain relevant. There are also philosophical issues to consider: was it fair of Ben-Zion’s dad to insist he not talk to other children until those children learned Hebrew?

This book signifies the general conditions of twelve generations of family members living on a continuing family farm in the United States. Authors Richard Michelson and Mary Azarian highlight the significant occasions in American history which are covered with each generation's conditions on the farm. This book may be good for elementary students that have knowledge about American history or farming. Some questions about the disabilities which I have observed where is our original home? Where does our family come from? Are we living here a long time What are our family value? What do we value? I believe this story a sense of identity but not so simple to narrate. Where does our family come from? How long have we lived in this place? What are our family treasures? What do we value? It may lead them to a sense of identity. This is a simple story, but not so simple to tell. The disadvantage is how the authors cover 400 years of history and 12 generations in less than 50 pages.