Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Book Review: Drop by Drop by Jacqueline Jules and Yevgenia Nayberg

9781512420906
$17.99

Akiva is just a poor shepherd living an ordinary life, until he falls in love with Rachel. Rachel thinks her husband could become a great man of learning—but Akiva can't even read! Is he too old to be a scholar or can he follow the example of the water in the nearby brook? Water is soft, yet drop by drop, it can soften the hardest stone.

Based on the life of the very real Rabbi Akiva, this story holds universal appeal for anyone who has ever felt that a task was too difficult to even attempt. Themes of persistence and supporting someone you love are simply taught and enforced in this short text. Best line: "She knew that a man with such goodness in his heart, who understood so much about life, must be smart even if he did not know how to read or write."

A great addition to any home or classroom library!

***And it looks like others agree - the very day after this post, it won a silver medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award for 2018!

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