ALMOST A MINYAN
by
by
LORI S. KLINE
Date of Publication: April 5, 2017
Number of Pages: 40
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Will she be the one to take Grandfather’s place?
According to Jewish tradition, a quorum of ten adults is required for public worship. Almost a Minyan traces the story of a young girl whose father and grandfather are regular participants in the town’s minyan - until her beloved Zayde passes on.
Without him, it is even harder for her father to find enough people to make a minyan. Then one day, he brings Zayde’s tefillin to his eldest daughter. A striking new addition to the diverse books movement, Almost a Minyan shares important Hebrew terms and religious concepts through a compelling and beautifully illustrated story for children.
* * *
PRAISE FOR ALMOST A MINYAN:
“A warmhearted introduction to coming-of-age in a worship community.” -- Kirkus Reviews
“A story of inclusion, belonging and equality. I loved the modern, egalitarian, and traditional values shared in this meaningful story. This is a wonderful modern story for our children and grandchildren!” -- Cantor Deborah Katchko-Gray
Congregation Shir Shalom, CT
Founder of the Women Cantors’ Network
“A delightful read for girls and boys alike, this poetic family tale brings a wonderful sentimentality to daily Jewish prayers. Moreover, the beauty of the illustrations contributes additional warmth to this snapshot of Jewish life. A nice addition for all libraries and all ages.” -- Rabbi Jimmy Kessler, DHL, DD
Congregation B’nai Israel, Galveston
HALL WAYS REVIEW: ✪✪✪✪✪ What a magnificent story of Jewish tradition, the circle of
life, and a young girl finding her place in the world. I am not Jewish, so the words and traditions
were completely unfamiliar to me; however, author Lori Kline provides a short glossary
of terms at the end of the book, so I just started there! (Side note: at first,
when I saw the word “G-d’s,” I thought it was a typo. When I saw it again, I decided to do some research and learned even more about Jewish tradition. The
incomplete spelling is indeed intentional.)
The book cover was just chosen for an upcoming cover of Publisher's Weekly – and I
am not surprised. Susan Simon's artwork (and I am calling it artwork, not
illustrations for a reason) is precious. Her pages are full of color and
emotion, evocative, and just feel good. There is a comfort in looking at
the pages. Simon gets just the right expressions on the characters' faces,
and their eyes perfectly reflect Kline's words. Simon uses colors and
textures to create the changing moods from scene to scene, all in harmony with
author Lori Kline's lovely words. (So harmonious, in fact, that I teared-up by the beauty, sadness,
and familiarity of one part.)
Almost A Minyan is told through
rhyme, and readers will hear the voice of our main character, who is never
named – perhaps because she represents all females on the verge of taking steps
towards bigger things? The rhyming sentences are well-written and flow so that
there is a definite rhythm and cadence to the book. It would be a wonderful
read-aloud story, but I also can see how readers of any age would like to
experience it alone (and I’d recommend a print copy for maximum enjoyment and
easy flipping back and forth to the glossary). I disagreed with some end
punctuation in a place or two and spotted a capitalization error, but I am
doubtful most readers will notice, and it certainly didn’t affect my enjoyment
of this thoughtful, informative, sentimental book.
Thank you to Lone Star Book Blog Tours and Sociosights Press for
providing me an eBook in exchange for my honest opinion – the only kind I give.
Lori Sales Kline heralds from Squirrel Hill in Pittsburgh, PA, which hosts a wonderfully rich Jewish community that fueled her love for Jewish tradition, ritual and practice at home and at, “the shul.” Following her undergraduate and graduate work at the University of Texas in Austin, Lori chose to make Austin her home, largely due to the spiritual connection she felt in the close-knit Austin Jewish community. In her spare time, Lori enjoys camping, celebrating Judaism with her husband and son, and friends. She previously authored the children’s picture book, Josiah’s Dreams.
As a very young child, Susan both learned from and fell in love with the goodness and beauty readable in some children’s book illustrations. Without having words for it, she understood very young the power of a picture to inform deeply. When she’s not trying to give her all to share with children that kind of quality in her own work, she enjoys walking her two beloved rescued mutts - Oatcake and Peach - riding her giant green bicycle, and playing her growly old accordion.Website Facebook LinkedIn
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GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
One Signed Copy of Almost A Minyan
March 24-April 7, 2017
(U.S. Only)
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Illustration Preview 1
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3/25
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Review
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Author Interview 1
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Review
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Guest Post
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Promo
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3/30
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Review
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Illustration Preview 2
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Review
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Author Interview 2
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Review
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Excerpt
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Illustration Preview 3
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Review
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Author Interview 3
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