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4 Nissan 5761 - March 28, 2001 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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Home and Family
BOOK REVIEW
The Wonderful World of Berachos

by S. Apelbaum

No problem this year as what to get the children for the Afikomon. And even if your children are only Hebrew-reading, they will be able to intuit the information and just love this new book to pieces. (By next year, the Hebrew version should be available, new and non-chometzdik!)

Remember Moshe Mendel? You may have met him in his first appearance, in "Moshe Mendel the Mitzva Maven and his Amazing Mitzva Quest." If so, this book needs no further introduction. It is another marvelous production that can beguile your children for hours, days, weeks, years. You will never finish exploring the millions of details that make up this king size book-adventure. I am NOT exaggerating.

Everyone has their own magical concept of a Candyland Paradise, but no one can beat supertalented Shiffy A. and her depiction of Shehakol Castles. You can explore and explore the double page wonderland, feast your eyes, and still discover new detail when you open the book again! It's almost as if it were a live movie! There is a chocolate drawbridge, a soda bottle fountain that spouts orangeade, a peppermint gumball cabin, rock candy mountain, icing hill for skiing, cotton candy trees, a Swiss cheese maze and... and... and... enough to make you really reel. And that's only two of the many dozens of magical pages.

This is far from only a fun book. It is a serious halachic work, researched thoroughly for years, but presented very PALATABALLY and tastefully. You can browse around -- who can resist it -- but settle down to study, as well, and get plenty of healthy hashkofa in the bargain. You can also quiz yourself through the many imaginative puzzlers provided in the back. For example, a tickler sends you back to Mezonos Land:

"Help! The following items have been lost! Can you find them all?

wallet / pacifier (two) / cellular phone / camera / $100 bill / ball" and so on.

Or: Mitzvos to find in Shehakol Castles:

1. Shiluach haken. 2. Bris mila. 3. Hashovas aveida and even No. 10: Gid hanasheh.

A serious work for all of its fun and glamor.

What do some of the experts have to say? Rabbi Noach Orlowek: "The Wonderful World of Berachos is an excellent tool for helping children become aware that everything we experience in this world comes from Hashem and can be uplifted through berachos, thus enriching our everyday lives. Sweetness and learning should go together, and in this book they are twins."

Rebbetzin Ruchoma Shain: "From babies to bubbies... a true work of art... for everyone who wants to become not only captivated but also knowledgeable in the halochos of berachos."

Rabbi Chanoch Teller: "...a feast for the eyes and a delight for the soul. The author/illustrator has turned her prodigious creativity and talent to a most worthy achievement and I have no doubt that families will learn from and cherish this educational, entertaining volume."

The cover is almost a perfect preview of its contents, with a magnifying glass smack in the middle of Shehakol Castles. This really says it all: you will have to examine this book minutely to taste its full flavor and glean the almost endless features it offers, from delightful to serious. Delicious is really the word. Its incredible flavor is both mouthwatering and mindwatering!

It comes on glossy (washable) paper or laminated. You will surely find yourself buying one for yourself and others for those very special gifts. Bubbies -- be prepared to get one for each family and one for yourself. And to avoid in- fighting, get yourself a copy of the first one, still available, "Moshe Mendel the Mitzva Maven and his Amazing Mitzva Quest."

If your local bookstore is temporarily out of these, they can be obtained directly from Shiffy at Panim Meirot 1. Call: 02- 5378645. She can also refer you to others who sell them in different locales throughout Israel.

A keep busy book at many, many levels, delightful, informative. Indispensible. Betayavon!

 

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