{"product_id":"rabbi-benjamins-buttons-isbn-9781580894326","title":"Rabbi Benjamin's Buttons","description":"Rabbi Benjamin loves his congregation, and they love him. That's why on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the Rabbi's congregation presents him with a special holiday vest with four silver buttons and decorated with designs symbolizing the major holidays celebrated throughout the year. Rabbi Benjamin loves it! He also loves all the holiday treats that his families proudly fill him with-including delicious, crispy latkes; scrumptious matzoh-ball soup; irresistible apple torte; and honey cake.\u003cbr\u003eAs the year passes, Rabbi Benjamin's beautiful vest stretches tighter and tighter across his belly, and one by one the shiny silver buttons\u003ci\u003e pop!-pop!-pop!\u003c\/i\u003e off. When summer comes, Rabbi helps his congregation with their gardening, with the hiding of Chanukah presents, with the apple picking, and the fishing. Will all this hard work help Rabbi fit into his beautiful vest when Rosh Hashanah rolls around again?\u003cb\u003e*\u003c\/b\u003eRabbi Benjamin and his congregation are  besotted with one another, but when the community presents its leader  with a yellow-gold vest to wear on holidays, decorated with four shiny  silver buttons, they neglect to factor in one thing: Jewish holidays  mean lots of irresistible, calorie- and emotion-laden Jewish cooking. As  the rabbi grows increasingly portly at various dinners, it’s clear to  both him and his attentive dog that the vest and its silver buttons are  not engineered to expand. Oy-yoy-yoy! You don’t have to be Jewish to  love this marvelously funny, wholly original story about the  intersection of faith, food, and families—in fact, it’s got a wrap-up  that Michelle Obama would applaud: Rabbi Benjamin discovers that a  regimen of community-centered exercise (like helping one family plant a  Sukkot garden) can work wonders. McGinty’s (\u003ci\u003eGandhi: A March to the Sea\u003c\/i\u003e) loving, lighthearted prose is as sunshiny as her characters, while Reinhardt’s (\u003ci\u003eThe Adventures of a South Pole Pig\u003c\/i\u003e) detailed watercolors depict a diverse congregation brimming with endearing idiosyncrasies and mutual affection—a real \u003ci\u003emishpochah\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e-\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, *starred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRabbi Benjamin has a loving relationship  with his congregants, who present him with a holiday vest one Rosh  Hashanah as a token of their esteem. During Sukkot, Chanukah, and  Passover, he overindulges in the treats cooked up by his friends. One by  one, his buttons pop off as his stomach expands. Instead of despairing,  the man spends the summer helping his friends with tasks that give him a  good workout, and by the following Rosh Hashanah, he is pleased to  accept a wonderful new vest (with the retrieved buttons) to replace the  stretched and battered old one. A number of positive themes run through  this story: community, hospitality, health, problem solving. Diversity  is celebrated in the cheerful watercolor and ink illustrations, which  include mixed-race and single-parent families in the congregation, as  well as a dad flouting traditional gender roles as he cooks and takes  care of his baby. These holidays provide a framework for the story but  are not the focus. The many universal themes are more central to the  book than the Jewish content and make it appropriate for general  audiences. The four recipes (one for each holiday) will also appeal  across cultures. A pleasant story that can be used year-round as a  celebration of Jewish heritage, the love of community, and the  importance of eating right.\u003cbr\u003e-\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eAs a token of their love for Rabbi Benjamin, his Walnut Street congregants give him a yellow vest embroidered with a menorah, lulav branches, and torah scrolls. Four shiny silver buttons down its front complete the rabbi's new multi-holiday look. Over the course of the year, as Rabbi Benjamin liberally samples Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Hanukkah, and Passover foods, his belly expands. Eventually, the vest fabric stretches so much that each silver button pops off. Lacking basic sewing skills, the portly rabbi uses a safety pin, \u003ci\u003etallit \u003c\/i\u003eclips, string, and staples in a makeshift attempt to replace the stray buttons. Over the summer, Rabbi Benjamin loses the extra weight by planting a garden, hiding Hanukkah presents, fishing for carp, and harvesting apples. The now baggy vest still doesn't fit, but the story's sweet ending is tailor-made to bring a smile to every food-loving fashionista. Reinhardt's illustrations of the bearded rabbi, who favors not only cheery vests but also high-water black pants, are done in watercolor and ink. The book includes a one-page glossary of Judaic terms and recipes for honey cake, fruit strudel, latkes, and matzo ball soup.\u003cbr\u003e-\u003ci\u003eAssociation of Jewish Libraries\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A happy congregation is the sunshine of  my heart,\" proclaims Rabbi Benjamin. The love-fest goes both ways, and  his congregants at the Walnut Street synagogue present him with a Jewish  holiday-themed vest on Rosh Hashanah. After blowing the shofar, it's  time to eat: homemade apple torte, honey cake, and more, \"until his  holiday vest stretched tightly across his belly.\" A couple of weeks  pass; now it's Sukkot, and as Rabbi Benjamin feasts at each family's  sukkah, all of that stuffed cabbage, sweet-potato pie, and fruit strudel  cause him to quite literally burst one of his buttons--\"\u003ci\u003epop!\u003c\/i\u003e\" With first Hanukkah, then Passover still to come, the rest of those buttons don't stand a chance. \"\u003ci\u003eOy-yoy-yoy\u003c\/i\u003e...I've  ruined my special holiday vest!\" laments the rabbi as the last buttons  fly off during the Goldwassers' Seder (one button lands in the  horseradish, the other in the prophet Elijah's cup). A little physical  activity throughout the summer and fall brings back his waistline...but  what about his special present? \u003ci\u003eNisht gedeyget\u003c\/i\u003e [don't worry]!  When Rosh Hashanah rolls around again, the congregants have a little  something up their sleeve. There's much joy in this cheery holiday book,  from the spry text's kid-pleasing sound effects (\u003ci\u003epop! splat! plop! splish-splash!\u003c\/i\u003e),  to casually presented but informative details about each holiday, to  the matter-of-fact depiction of a range of Jewish families in the  detail-filled watercolor and ink illustrations, to that bright-yellow,  menorah-festooned vest--which is ugly in the way that all good holiday  garments are. Back matter includes information about and recipes for  each holiday and a glossary.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e-The Horn Book Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA grateful congregation presents their beloved  Rabbi Benjamin with a special holiday vest containing four silver  buttons. He proudly wears the garment for Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot,  Hanukkah, and Passover, although the vest gradually becomes a bit soiled  and quite tight as he overindulges in holiday foods, resulting in  buttons popping off at inopportune times. Embarrassed, Benjamin spends  the summer and early fall hard at work for his families—planting,  picking, sweating, and fishing. By New Year’s, the vest again fits, but  without the buttons it’s not quite the same. Luckily the congregation is  one step ahead with a brand new vest. Reinhardt’s watercolor-and-ink  illustrations are well suited to this sunny, slyly humorous text: at  each holiday, families ply the rabbi with delectable goodies, and  buttons always pop into the festive foods. Concluded with recipes and a  glossary, this makes a good introduction to the cycle of Jewish  holidays. (The gentle caution about overeating is a bonus.)\u003cbr\u003e-\u003ci\u003eBooklist Online\u003c\/i\u003eAlice B. McGinty is the award-winning author of over forty books for children. She is a writer, reader, writing coach and instructor, book reviewer, author, and mom. If you peeked in her pockets, you might find scraps of paper and a pen, a pebble or two, and a guitar pick. Alice has led music sessions for religious school and taught pre-kindergarten classes in her synagogue for many years. An enthusiastic dancer, hiker, and runner, Alice lives in Urbana, Illinois.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Jennifer Black Reinhardt was in elementary school and her classmates said that they wanted to be firemen, doctors, and vets, she declared that she wanted to draw the pictures on greeting cards. When she grew up she did that and more. She has an illustration degree from Carnegie Mellon University and is the illustrator of \u003ci\u003eThe Adventures of a South Pole Pig (\u003c\/i\u003eHoughton Mifflin Harcourt).Rabbi Benjamin loved his red brick synagogue on Walnut Street. With a warm, wide smile, he welcomed everyone who entered. \"A happy congregation is the sunshine of my heart,\" the rabbi said.","brand":"Charlesbridge","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301037887717,"sku":"NP9781580894326","price":17.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781580894326.jpg?v=1767735321","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/rabbi-benjamins-buttons-isbn-9781580894326","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}