Two wide-eyed children and their mother watch with fascination as builders with trucks and tools come to their neighborhood and begin to dig a deep hole, bolster the sides with wooden boards, mix and spread cement, wait for it to dry, build beams and scaffolding, lay bricks, install windows, doors, walls, pipes, and lights, and suddenly, there it is — a big building where no building stood before!
The young boy wonders what kind of building this will become. He watches movers carry in boxes and furniture and the beautiful building transforms into a very special shul where a regal Aron Kodesh awaits its very own Torah.
Along the way, as the building grows, the boy is growing, too — not only in size, but in other important ways as well. By watching how the builders work, he learns important lessons such as the necessity for hard work and cooperation as well as teamwork, patience, and the importance of safety precautions.
This brightly colored, laminated book is filled with gentle lessons about daily life taught through the context of religious life, but certainly not limited to it. It is accompanied by appealingly drawn street scenes filled with neighborhood activity.
Recommended for ages 3 to 6.
Michal Hoschander Malen is the editor of Jewish Book Council’s young adult and children’s book reviews. A former librarian, she has lectured on topics relating to literacy, run book clubs, and loves to read aloud to her grandchildren.
