Shoshi's Shabbat
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
The virtues of taking a break—and of being thankful—are extolled in the gentle story of a stubborn ox, an impatient farmer, and a day of rest. Long ago, in the hills near Jerusalem, lived a young ox. For six days each week, she and her owner would toil in the fields, and on the seventh day both would rest. Then it came to be that this young ox was sold. For six days, she toiled in her new owner’s fields, and on the seventh day the farmer brought out the yoke and plow, expecting to spend another day hard at work. But Shoshi the ox had a different idea. In a warm, friendly narrative and vivid, humorous art, author Caryn Yacowitz and illustrator Kevin Hawkes bring to life a tale drawn from the ancient Jewish stories known as the Midrash, a story as relevant today as it was long ago. It’s a tale of encountering other cultures and learning from them, of paying attention to the world around you—sun, breeze, animals, people—and above all, of learning to slow down and take a break.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In fields near Jerusalem, a winsome brown and white ox named Shoshi works hard six days a week for her Jewish human, Simon. On the seventh day, Shabbat, she rests along with Simon's family, all portrayed with brown skin, eating sweet hay and playing hide-and-seek with his grandchildren. Eventually, Simon grows too old to guide the plow, and he sells Shoshi to recent arrival Yohanan, who "did not always understand the ways of his Jewish neighbors." Shoshi's refusal to work on the seventh day ("She tossed her head to the left. She stamped her feet"), perplexes and angers Yohanan, until, seeing Simon walking on the Sabbath, he realizes, "I am a clever man... Yet I work seven days a week, with no day to rest, no day to give thanks. Perhaps Shoshi is the clever one." Openhearted directness from Yacowitz (I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Dreidel) and visually playful acrylic art by Hawkes (There's a Dodo on the Wedding Cake) make a lovely match, as in one spread that affirms Shoshi's work ethic by showing her dutifully ploughing Yohanan's fields as if circling a clock ("Shoshi plowed for six days. Yohanan was pleased"). Based on Torah commentary, this pensive picture book is a welcome reminder of the importance of pausing to practice gratitude. Ages 4–8.
