The Wooden Sword

Best Children's Books of the Year 2013, Bank Street College
2013 Storytelling World Award
A 2013 CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
2013 Honor Book, South Asia Book Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature
2013 Sydney Taylor Honor Book for Older Readers
NYPL 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2012

Though the shah in Afghanistan tries to test his faith, a poor Jewish shoemaker maintains his belief that all happens for the best.

Disguised in servant's clothes, an Afghani shah slips out of his palace to learn more about his people. When he encounters a poor Jewish shoemaker full of faith that everything will turn out just as it should, the shah grows curious. Vowing that no harm will befall the poor man, he decides to test that faith, only to find that the shoemaker's cheerful optimism cannot be shaken. But the biggest challenge of the poor man's life is yet to come! Ann Stampler's retelling of this classic Afghani Jewish folktale is enriched by Carol Liddiment’s charming and vivid paintings.