Elijah's Tears: Stories for the Jewish Holidays

by Sydelle Pearl, Skortcheva, Rossira (Illustrator)

Overview

ABA Pick of the List title and a Storytelling World Honor Award Honoree

Now in paperback, this beloved anthology for the whole family consists of five original tales, each linked to an important Jewish holiday and featuring the prophet Elijah. In each tale, Elijah comforts those who are generous, wise, and fair while challenging those who are faithless.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781455628452
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	04/01/2025
Pages:	80
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.31(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Sydelle Pearl is an award-winning author who has published books in various genres including folktales, biography, and historical fiction. Originally from New Jersey, she now lives in the Washington, DC, area.

Table of Contents

	Preface	xi
	Elijah's Tears (Passover)	3
	Leaves (Succot)	11
	Eliora's Gifts (Hanukkah)	21
	The Tallis (Yom Kippur)	33
	Joseph the Potter (Passover)	45
	Glossary	56

Editorial Reviews

"Compelling, sometimes ethereal, the tales occasionally address readers directly, forging a link between the magical settings and real ones."—Kirkus Reviews

"Elijah's Tears is full of beautiful stories and insight into Jewish folklore. The stories will touch your heart." —American Bookseller Pick of the Lists

"The common element in these five tales is the beauty of faith and the blessings found in doing for others...Pearl's language is direct, lending itself to reading and telling aloud." —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"...a splendid addition to Jewish folklore."—Jewish Book World

"five original spectacular short stories..."—Ottawa Jewish Bulletin

From the Publisher

Simple black-and-white sketches by Rossitza Skortcheva fully complement this engaging collection which is especially recommended for young people, yet is suitable and entertaining reading for all ages.

Midwest Book Review

Five stories of Elijah the Prophet, linked to the major Jewish holidays, limning many aspects of Jewish life, and told in the polished manner of lessons often repeated.

In a preface, Pearl sets Elijah's place in the Bible and in folklore, pointing out her additions and inventions, e.g., giving the prophet a family. In one story, "The Tallis," a widowed father introduces his religion to his son at the late age of five, giving him a precious prayer shawl, and launching him on a lifetime of kindness toward others. Typically, the stories emphasize charity, point out the wonders of God in nature, and glorify the mitzvah, or good deed, with which Elijah is associated. Penney provides idiosyncratic black-and-white pictures that capture the mood of each piece. Compelling, sometimes ethereal, the tales occasionally address readers directly, forging a link between the magical settings and real ones.

Kirkus Reviews