Zinni’s mother is a rabbi, and Zinni loves to hear her sing the morning blessings every day. The blessings make Zinni think about the ocean and its spectacular mysteries. Her favorite sea creature is the beautiful shelled mollusk, which releases a cloud of blue ink to scare off its predators. Zinni finds school difficult due to learning and social challenges, but she finds comfort in sketching sea creatures, especially the mollusk.
Zinni’s mother explains that, in ancient times, a special blue color used for dyeing the tallit was produced by mollusk ink. At night, Zinni dreams that she is in the Mediterranean Sea, looking for mollusks while seeing extraordinary sights. The color of the mollusk ink, Zinni learns, is reminiscent of the sea and the sky, expanding her imagination even further. In her dream, she discovers an ancient mollusk and its spectacular blue ink. When she wakes up, she realizes that searching, wondering, exploring, and learning are the keys to happiness and success. Zinni connects these lessons to the morning blessings and feels ready to search, explore, and improve each day.
An appended author’s note teaches readers about techelet, the blue dye used long ago to enhance the tallit worn by Jews during times of prayer. The colorful art appeals to the eye and is filled with rich, deep blues that echo the story’s theme.
Michal Hoschander Malen is the editor of Jewish Book Council’s young adult and children’s book reviews. A former librarian, she has lectured on topics relating to literacy, run book clubs, and loves to read aloud to her grandchildren.