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The Surprise in the Desk by Carol Ungar, illustrated by Mira Simon Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili  Buy at Hachai What would you do if you bought a second-hand piece of furniture and when you brought it home, you found within it a secret stash of $98,000? This was the question I posed to my family after reading The Surprise in the Desk . Based on true events, this story is about Rabbi Noach Muroff who buys a used desk and discovers close to $100,000 hidden inside it. Told in simple prose without any hint of preachiness, author Carol Ungar delivers a thought provoking story that will teach children a valuable lesson about honesty and doing the right thing, even when the temptation to do otherwise might be great. Accompanied by Mira Simon’s realistic illustrations, children will be able to follow along with the text and answer the question, “So, what do you think he did?” which is posed to the reader at various points throughout the story. A simple ...

My First Baal Shem Tov Book by Yosef Kaufmann, illustrated by Mira Simon Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili    Buy at Hachai In clearly written rhyming verse, My First Baal Shem Tov Book is about the little boy Yisroel, affectionately called Yisrolik, who grows up to become the renowned Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement in the early 18th century. As a child, he learned from his father, “That Hashem is always with him – That there’s nothing else to fear.” This is the message that Yisrolik passes on to the other children as well, in the rhyming refrain that author Yosef Kauffman smoothly incorporates throughout the story. Mira Simon’s illustrations are gentle and breathtaking, especially the ones depicting outdoor scenes. Children will be able to relate to the message of the Baal Shem Tov (which means Master of the Good Name) as the story and illustrations end in contemporary times with fears that are common to many children, s...