By
– August 30, 2011
In this new series, Two Kings, the kings represent a young boy’s Yetzer HaTov and Yetzer HaRa, his good inclination and his bad inclination, based on a parable from the book of Ecclesiastes. As the boy, David, struggles with choices, the two kings battle with him and with each other, to influence his behavior. In the end, when David chooses to do the right thing, he finds that he is proud of himself and feels older and wiser. The situations David faces are appropriate to today’s young children, but they feel forced and preachy. In the first book, David struggles with wanting to go outside to play with his friends, when he should be inside watching his baby sister. In the second book, David’s older sister needs to use the computer for a class project, but it is David’s turn to play games on it, and he doesn’t want to give up his fun time. Brightly colored, simplistic, cartoon-like illustrations show the smiling Good King and the frowning Bad King whispering in David’s ear and battling each other for control of his actions. For ages 4 – 7.
Two Kings: It’s My Turn
Rabbi Fishel Jacobs
Campus Living & Learning Shuls, Inc. 2008. 31 pp. $12.95
ISBN: 978 – 0967348148
Second Title in Review
Two Kings: It’s My Turn
Rabbi Fishel Jacobs
Campus Living & Learning Shuls, Inc. 2008. 31 pp. $12.95
ISBN: 978 – 0967348148
Diane Levin Rauschwerger is librarian for Congregation Beth Am, Los Altos Hills, CA, and has worked as a children’s librarian for the Sunnyvale Public Library. She is the author of a series of children’s picture books, including Dinosaur on Hanukkah, Dinosaur on Passover, and Dinosaur on Shabbat, published by Kar-Ben Publishing.