Sukkot Treasure Hunt

by Allison Maile Ofanansky, Eliyahu Alpern (Photographer)

Overview

In Israel, before the holiday of Sukkot, you can buy a lulav and etrog at a roadside market stand. But Arava and her family want to find and pick their own. Join them as they hike and picnic in the hills surrounding their home in Tzefat, looking for each of the four species needed to celebrate the harvest holiday.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781512494815
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2009
Series:	Sukkot & Simchat Torah
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	6 MB
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Allison Ofanansky, born in the U.S., moved to Israel and became an Israeli citizen in 1996. She lives in the village of Kaditah near the mystical city of Safed, with her husband Shmuel and daughter Aravah. They enjoy hiking the hills of the Galilee, gathering and eating the fruits that grow there. They are involved in environmental and eco-peace projects.
Born and raised outside Chicago and now living in Israel, photographer Eliyahu Alpern has been interested in food, travel, and photography since childhood. He's been a musician, cougar rehabilitator, vegetarian chef, organic farmer and multi-media maven. His photographic specialty is 360-degree panoramic images of Israel. He lives in the Upper Galilee with his family.

Editorial Reviews

PreS-Gr 2—An Israeli girl goes on a Sukkot "treasure hunt" with her parents to find the four items (date palm, willow, myrtle, and etrog fruit) used to celebrate the harvest holiday. They find the first three plants during a hike in the hills, and the last is offered by a friend who has an etrog tree in his courtyard. Each step of the hunt is illustrated by sun-dappled photographs of the charming child and her laid-back parents. Books on the Jewish celebration of Sukkot are few and far between, and this one is unique in its focus. An endnote describes the various plants the family sees and mentions that the Torah commands Jews to "take the branches and fruit of beautiful trees and rejoice" at harvest time. However, little explanation is offered on the symbolism and function of the plants in the observance. Readers unfamiliar with Sukkot may be mystified by the fuss made over them, and by the very brief mention of the sukkah built by the family. The book is well suited to observant audiences and will be a boon to Jewish educational institutions, but seems to lack the bridging material to bring other readers onboard.—Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL

School Library Journal

Clear, colorful photographs follow a young family's quest to find all the "four species" (from the Hebrew arba minim) used to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot, the harvest holiday observed with the symbolic use of the branches of a palm, willow and myrtle tree and the Middle Eastern citrus fruit etrog. Because these are plants that naturally grow in Israel, the family takes a hike near their home in Tzefat to see if they can harvest them rather than buy them at the market. The spirit of the holiday's significance is captured throughout the family's outing, which is treated as a treasure hunt and which successfully culminates in a meal in the family's Sukkah, the outside hut families create for the week-long celebration. Reading daughter Aravah's first-person account, children will identify with the fun and wonder of her discoveries as her parents guide and instruct each step of the search. A realistic and eco-friendly perspective of both simple Israeli life and the holiday. Holiday explanation and Fun Facts included. (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews