The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

D.I.J. Do It Jewish: Use Your Jewish Creativity by Barbara Bietz, illustrated by Daria Grinevich Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Nockowitz Buy at Bookshop.org A celebration of creativity with a Jewish bent,   DIJ: Do It Jewish   inspires kids ages 8-12 to take a fresh look at some of their favorite endeavors and to try something new, as well. This debut middle grade offering from Jewish publisher Intergalactic Afikomen,   DIJ: Do It Jewish   covers seven categories: filmmaking, songwriting, art, cooking, graphic novels and cartooning, midrash, and Judaica. Each chapter offers encouragement and advice from a Jewish expert in that field, as well as ideas on how to begin to tackle a new project and see it through. The book uses appealing, jewel-toned colors and Daria Grinevich’s lovely illustrations to complement the upbeat, easy-to-read text.   Chapters are divided into two sections. The first helps get the creative juices flowing as a successful practitioner talks about where ide

I Am the Tree of Life: My Jewish Yoga Book by Rabbi Mychal Copeland Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Sarah Aronson “How might it feel to stand at Mount Sinai? To dance at the Red Sea? The narrative, written by Michal Copeland (a rabbi and certified yoga instructor) invites the reader to imagine the stories of the Torah in a most unique way: by pairing the stories with poses from the ancient Hindu tradition. For each pose, Rabbi Copeland guides readers through simple instructions that invite us to reach, pause and reflect as we read. In these uncertain times, what a pleasure this is. Yoga teaches us to pay attention. To breathe deeply. To stretch, meditate, and look within. To slow down. To pause and contemplate the stories referenced and the values they stand for. Readers will learn how to execute tree pose, crescent moon pose, boat pose, downward dog, camel and others. For this review, I performed all the poses. I found Rabbi Copeland’s instructions easy to follow.