The Sabbath Lion: A Jewish Folktale from Algeria

When Yosef's widowed mother receives an inheritance, the 10-year-old offers to travel across the dangerous desert from Algiers to Egypt to collect the money. The caravan owner refuses to stop travel on the Sabbath and Yosef, who could never disobey the laws of the Sabbath, elects to stay in the desert by himself. Come, 0 Sabbath Queen, and bring peace and blessing on thy wing, Joseph prays with all his heart, and he is sent a magnificent tawny lion who guards him and leads him triumphantly to Cairo. Commentary on the customs of Jewish Sabbath celebrations are appended at the back of the book. Fieser's paintings with their purple-tinged clouds, stylized faces and green skies evoke a mythical past, but the didactic text, which insists on the importance of keeping a promise and obedience to religious laws, may limit the book's appeal. Ages 5-8. (Sept.)