This colourful 24-page picture book invites readers to discover what it means to live a good Jewish life. A simple four-line rhyming stanza features on every spread, accompanied by bright and bold illustrations.
Narrated in the third person, the book is an informal ‘how to’ guide with a gentle, instructional tone. The content throughout focuses on mitzvahs, which are commandments, or more broadly, good deeds. They include simple everyday acts: ‘Respect your elders, like your grandparents, too’; ‘Be curious, study, and share what you know’. One spread draws attention to things that a good Jew shouldn’t do, such as fighting, stealing and calling people names. Another is dedicated to mitzvahs that are specific to Jewish holidays, like making sure there’s no bread in the home on Passover, and not wearing leather shoes on Yom Kippur.
Words associated with Jewish culture, like ‘Tzedakah’, ‘Hanukkah latkes’ and ‘Purim baskets’, are scattered throughout the book. Sometimes, a definition is provided directly in the text, and often the illustrations give an idea of the meaning. There is no glossary, however, so readers unfamiliar with Jewish culture will need to do their own research to gain a fuller understanding.
The abstract illustration style comprises bold and bright colours from a broad palette. Simplified geometric shapes are used to depict characters, objects and backdrops in vignettes, full page illustrations and double page spreads. Children, of varying ages and with varying skin colours, feature throughout. Often, they are interacting with each other and their environment. One vignette shows three children sitting on a rug sharing orange quarters. Sometimes, the children are shown by themselves, such as when they are doing their homework. On other occasions, they are doing things with parents, grandparents or other adults. The pages reflect the different situations they may experience during the day, the week and the year.
‘It’s a Mitzvah!’ presents do’s and don’ts in a way that is easy for the youngest of readers to understand. It provides a valuable starting point for discussions about what is right or wrong in everyday life and, more specifically, in Jewish life.
NCACL Cultural Diversity Database
