cover image Partners with God

Partners with God

Gila Gevirtz, Gila Gervirtz. Behrman House Publishing, $11.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-87441-580-3

For children, seeing is believing. The formidable task parents and educators face in talking to children about God is that of describing a power without visible shape or form. Gevirtz tackles this task admirably, boiling profound theological concepts down to concrete situations and familiar contexts. In a gentle, poetic style, she evokes the wonders of creation as God's footprints, likens God's presence to a quiet voice that helps people do good and stresses that people are God's partners in caring for the world. To live as a Jew, she writes, is to feel the love and wisdom of God that is hidden in all things, from starry nights to the syrupy sweetness of honey on Rosh Hashanah to the delicate weave of a spider's web. Gevirtz challenges young readers to find God in their own lives and emphasizes each person's infinite worth. She addresses the subjects of monotheism and prayer, Shabbat and Torah, forgiveness and faith-all through legends, folktales, Bible stories, full-color photographs and thought-provoking activities. The reactions of 600 children around the country to early chapters of the manuscript shaped this thoughtful textbook, which parents can also use as a guide to a complex subject. Ages 8-10. (Feb.)