Raizy, the heroine of A Dozen Daisies for Raizy, goes shopping with her Bubby to buy flowers for Shavuos, choosing a dozen daisies to brighten her home for the holiday. On the way back she helps a new friend feel like part of the community by asking her to help with the family’s Kiddush, invites a lonely woman to join her family for blintzes, and offers to help with a neighbor’s twins so she and the neighbor can both hear the Ten Commandments read in the synagogue. To each neighbor she gives two of her daisies. Though her bouquet grows smaller, her joy increases as she remembers the neighbors she cheered with her mitzvot. Bold, brightly colored illustrations help to tell the story and show the mood of the characters. Without preaching, this sweet story teaches much about the meaning of Shavous and how it is traditionally celebrated. In a unique twist, the book features characters from both the Ashkenazic and Sephardic communities, using different languages, dialects and phrases to wish one another a happy holiday. As a note at the beginning of the book explains, “This highlights how important it is that all Jews remain united at the core, just as they were on the very first Shavuos.” A glossary defines the Yiddish and Hebrew words used in the story. Ages 4 – 8.
Children’s
A Dozen Daisies for Raizy: A Shavuos Story
- Review
By
– January 27, 2012
Diane Levin Rauschwerger is librarian for Congregation Beth Am, Los Altos Hills, CA, and has worked as a children’s librarian for the Sunnyvale Public Library. She is the author of a series of children’s picture books, including Dinosaur on Hanukkah, Dinosaur on Passover, and Dinosaur on Shabbat, published by Kar-Ben Publishing.
Discussion Questions
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