In the Jerusalem Forest

by Devora Busheri, Noa Kelner (Illustrator)

A child and her mother take a walk in the forest near Jerusalem, gazing at their reflections in a rippling pond and appreciating their time together.

Inspired by the poem "The Pond" by Hayim Nahman Bialik.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Judaica, Cultural, Nature

32 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2019

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice, colorful illustrations. I also googled the poem it was based on and read it: The Pond (also called The Pool) written 1904.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the Jerusalem Forest by Devora Busheri, illustrated by Noa Kelner. PICTURE BOOK. Kar-Ben (Lerner), 2019. $8. 9781541534735

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

A girl and her mother are walking through the forest. They take the time to poke through a pond, but when the wind kicks up the girl wants to leave. Back in the warm spring sun the world is less scary. And she remembers the pond reflecting the sky and their faces.

I think that creating a picture book around someone else’s poem is very difficult. I am not sure why this is called the Jerusalem forest – except for the word Ima (which I am guessing is the Hebrew word for mother), there is nothing to place this forest geographically. I do enjoy Kelner’s illustrations, They are child-like without being childish and convey the movement and motion well.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I'm just not Jewish enough to catch the references in this book, but to me it might as well be called In the Forest.

Mom and daughter walk in the forest, look at their reflections in the pond, feel the wind blow and leaves falling.

I am especially looking for Jewish books, as I know there is a lot of anti-Semitism coming up given the Israeli war, and Canadian children and families are feeling this is real ways. Because of this specific reason, I am really looking for books that overtly celebrate Jewish children, families, and traditions. This was not the one for me.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really lovely story that is very lyrical, which makes sense since it's based on a poem. Love the illustrations. Great read-aloud for 4-6 y/o.

[Kaila · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't understand the message.

[Krissy J.]

climate--no

[Alyssa Tate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had very elaborate illustrations which brought it to life and made it more engaging. While the story was hard to follow along with overall it was an okay book.