Benny's Mitzvah Notes

PreS-Gr 2—Benny's Abba and Ima write him "mitzvah notes" every day for fulfilling one of the many commandments in the life of a young Orthodox Jewish boy. He gets them for doing his morning prayers, for blessing his food, and for welcoming guests into his home. As he grows, he performs the mitzvot (spelled "mitzvos" here) for each holiday and life cycle, until the last note comes at his Bar Mitzvah as he puts on tefillin for the first time. The story ends as Benny's parents find a special note after he has left for yeshiva, a mitzvah note to Abba and Ima for teaching him to "love doing mitzvos!" The watercolor and pencil illustrations have a mid-century style, depicting Benny growing up with smiling parents and happy classmates. A good purchase for traditional Jewish preschools, day schools, or synagogue libraries.—Martha Link Yesowitch, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC