Angel Secrets: Stories Based on Jewish Legend($22.36Value)

Description

Every living thing, even a blade of grass, has an angel to look after it According to Jewish teachings, angels are the links between heaven and earth. These six riveting stories tell of different classes of angels as they make their way to earth past the angel Raziel who sits outside the Holy Curtain. In Hebrew, Raziel means “hears God’s secrets.” Told with imagination and humor, the stories are enhanced by soft, full-page, full-color paintings. The book includes an introduction and a section of sources and references. Grade 4-6–Whereas Clouds of Glory (1998) and Angels Sweep the Desert Floor (2002, both Clarion) retell biblical stories from Genesis and Exodus, this offering retells the legends of how angels work alongside God in both heaven and on Earth. Raziel, Azaz, Kasriel, Ya'asriel, Goralnik, Rafael, and Layla are all introduced along with the Wheel angels, the Angels of Forgetfulness, the Musician angels, Satan, and countless others, making it very difficult for readers to keep track of all of them. Places and concepts like the Prayer Path, the River-of-Angels, the Love Chamber, the Hall of Alphabet Angels, the Evil Urge, and the Leisure Corner of Heaven are also included without enough description or explanation for readers to visualize and comprehend them. The tone of the writing is mystical and mysterious, which may frustrate children who are trying to gain a more concrete understanding of the stories. And, while the artwork at the beginning of each chapter beautifully matches the tone and mood of the book, it fails to help illuminate the text. Finding an appreciative audience for this collection will be difficult–the language and concepts are very sophisticated, yet the format, design, and font size appear suited for much younger readers. Consider only if there is an interest and need for additional collections of midrash. –Rachel Kamin, Temple Israel Libraries & Media Center, West Bloomfield, MI Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Gr. 4-6. Chaikin, author of many books about Judaism and Jewish myths, turns her attention to angels in this compendium that draws on Midrash and other Jewish writings. She takes readers to heaven and earth, where angels of all orders serve the Holy One and link above and below. The first story is a reshaping of a familiar one in which God sends angels to make an indentation in the spot above a baby's lips so the baby will forget all the knowledge he or she had before birth.^B In Chaikin's telling, one of Satan's minions is determined that one child will retain that knowledge. In another story, Chaikin uses the idea that each letter of the Hebrew alphabet is ruled by an angel to show how angelic presence affects earthly happenings. The parables sometimes raise more questions than they answer, but this increases their worth, as readers ponder their meanings. The lively writing style is enhanced by evocative, full-page paintings that begin each story. The subtle incorporations of angels and Hebrew letters make the pictures as worthy of study as the tales. Ilene Cooper Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Miriam Chaikin has written more than thirty books for young readers. Ms. Chaikin, a former editor of children’s books, lives in New York City. Leonid Gore has illustrated a number of children’s books. Now a resident of Oakland, New Jersey, Mr. Gore moved to the United States in 1991 from Russia, where he was born. Used Book in Good Condition