Alef-Bet: A Hebrew Alphabet Book [Paperback]

Hebrew is a very, very old language. It was spoken in ancient Israel many thousands of years ago, and has been kept alive for centuries by Jews and scholars. Modern Hebrew was the dream and work of a man named Eliezer Ben-Yehuda. He made new words from ancient words and gave Hebrew speakers a way to say modern words such as ice cream, bicycle, and airplane.This book is a child's introduction to modern Hebrew; but more than that, it is a joyous portrait of a very special family. Its heroine, Gabi, shares in the activities of five-year-olds everywhere; she dances, she pretends, she dresses up, she helps with the baby. Her exuberance about her own life bounces off every page, and the enthusiasm and warmth of her family surround her, and the reader, with love. Like the artist's Chicken Man and A Baker's Portrait, this has an informal warmth that will endear it to kids who already know or want to learn the Hebrew alphabet & Clear, artful, and involving, this is a model of what foreign-language alphabets should be. Bulletin for the Center of Childrens Books
This is a useful language primer that captures universal concepts and provides the opportunity for individual and group discussion. School Library Journal
In exuberant illustrations with vibrant colors vigorously defined by agile, rough lines, Edwards depicts an endearingly ordinary family engaged in everyday activitieshelping Dad with the laundry, imaginative play, outingswith the oldest of three children taking part in everything from his wheelchair. Phonetic pronunciation is given for each Hebrew letter and the word it initializes, also given in English. Kirkus Reviews
Beginning the alphabet with bathtub (ahm-BAHT-yah) and choosing monster (me-FLEHT-zeht) for the letter mem help the alphabet unfold with a smile. The rest of the alef-bet is filled with socks and feathers, with fish and feet. By the time you reach tav for baby (TEE-nook), where the illustration is complete with stained dial"