Sitting Shiva

by Erin Silver, Michelle Theodore (Illustrator)

Overview

A little girl grieves the loss of her mother, but she can’t grieve alone.

When her friends and family arrive at her house to sit shiva, laden with cakes and stories, she refuses to come downstairs. But the laughter and memories gradually bring her into the fold, where she is comforted by her community. By the end of the book, she feels stronger and more nourished, and she understands the beautiful tradition. Then, when sees her father sitting alone, she is able to comfort him in his time of need. Sitting Shiva is a beautiful, heartfelt story about grief and loss, but also about comfort and community. It shows that no matter what religion you practice, we are all more similar than we are different.

A note from the author explains the ritual of sitting shiva, a seven-day period of mourning for the death of a family member observed in Jewish homes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459827721
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	05/17/2022
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	238,743
Product dimensions:	8.75(w) x 10.75(h) x 0.38(d)
Lexile:	AD560L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Erin Silver is a children’s author and freelance writer whose work has appeared in everything from Good Housekeeping to the Washington Post. She is the author of numerous books for children, including Rush Hour: Navigating Our Global Traffic Jam in the Orca Footprints line, as well as What Kids Did: Stories of Kindness and Invention in the Time of COVID-19 and Proud to Play: Canadian LGBTQ+ Athletes Who Made History. Erin holds a master of fine arts in creative nonfiction from the University of King’s College in Halifax, a postgraduate journalism degree from Toronto Metropolitan University and a bachelor of arts from the University of Toronto.

Michelle Theodore was born and raised in Edmonton. She loves making intelligent and captivating illustrations that evoke a deep emotional connection. Her recent work focuses on exploring the intangible feelings of childhood memory and her strong obsession with the pull of the ocean.

Editorial Reviews

Shows great empathy for a child’s feelings when coping with loss. That Silver does this task in a unique and emotional way that manages to convey the traditions associated with the practice of sitting Shiva is admirable. Highly Recommended.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

A thoughtful and gentle introduction to shiva, grief, and mourning to even the littlest of readers.

Association of Jewish Libraries

The comforting text and the warm images will help young readers begin to understand what shiva means in Jewish families.

Sal's Fiction Addiction

This poignant story about mourning and finding comfort in community is universally relatable.

Booklist

Explains the Jew­ish mourn­ing peri­od in a gen­tle, easy-to-under­stand, car­ing man­ner…Sim­ple and acces­si­ble...Care­ful­ly phrased, evoca­tive­ly illus­trat­ed, and empha­sizes time spent with fam­i­ly and friends.

Jewish Book Council

2022-03-02
A child’s grief is given serious, poignant treatment in this timely story of healing in community.

Jenny’s mother has died. This would be shocking and upsetting to any child and is no less staggering a loss for the book’s young protagonist. While Jenny wants to be alone, the Jewish ritual of sitting shiva dictates that family and friends will come to her home to offer food, solace, and support. Jenny only wants her mother, but when she opens herself to the company of loved ones, she finds comfort and safety. The practice of sitting shiva is generally poorly understood, especially outside of Jewish communities; the rituals might even be frightening to the uninitiated. However, this picture book, with its lovely, warm illustrations and perfectly pitched storyline, provides an accessible introduction to shiva for readers of all ages. While the images of mourning are dark, they promote a deep understanding that unfolds gently in tandem with the text. In addition to being a story about Jewish ritual, this book is also a sensitive, powerful treatment of a child’s grief, with resonant but developmentally appropriate language that will appeal to a broad audience. Jenny and her dad are White. Most background characters have pale skin, and two of them are Black-presenting. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A worthy addition to the growing shelf of picture books about loss, death, and bereavement. (Picture book. 5-12)

Kirkus Reviews