The eight tales of the Jewish prophet Elijah begin with two uncounted stories--an author's generous note and her story of Elijah's life.

The prophet lived during the ninth century B.C.E., when Israel's King Ahab married the Phoenician princess Jezebel, who worshiped many gods. At odds with the royal court, Elijah denounced idol worship, admonished the people to believe in the One God and was forced to hide and travel from place to place.

Once, during a drought, the people Israel gathered at Mount Carmel, where Elijah challenged them to prove the existence of their gods. They prepared an altar and sacrifice to the Canaanite-Phoenician weather god Baal, and prayed for a fire to consume them. Nothing happened. Elijah, in turn, called upon the Holy One. A great fire descended, consumed his offering and ended the drought. Elijah did not die, but rose from the River Jordan in fiery horse-drawn chariot to Heaven, where he records deeds of the righteous, awaiting the time he can help establish peace on earth. We invoke his presence at life cycle events, on Saturday evenings, and at Pessach.

The stories that follow these two eloquent introductions exude kindness. In the first, Elijah appeared one day as Rabbi Joshua Ben Levi opened his eyes after praying. Though a great scholar, teacher and rabbi, he could not answer why some people suffer when they have done good deeds and why some wicked people are sometimes rewarded. Elijah agreed to take Rabbi Levi on his travels, provided he questioned nothing. Rabbi Levi agreed.

In one town, a poor farmer and his wife offered Elijah and Rabbi Levi a place to sleep and the butter, milk and cheese produced by their only cow. In the morning, Elijah prayed for the cow's death, which soon collapsed and died. The next night, they came to the home of a wealthy man, who grudgingly told them to sleep outside. In the morning, Elijah prayed for the man's wall to be rebuilt, which was done as if by unseen hands.

In another town, the worshipers at a fine gold- and silver-filled sanctuary gave the travelers a few pennies to buy water and bread and left them to stay in a room in the shul. Elijah prayed for the congregation to have many leaders. In a fourth town, members of a simple synagogue warmly welcomed the travelers and fed and lodged them in comfort. Elijah prayed for them to have a single leader.

Finally Rabbi Levi could stand his pain no longer. How could Elijah pray for suffering for the poor and rewards for the wicked?

Elijah answered: The wife of the poor man was ordained to die that day, so he prayed for the cow to die in her place. The rich man's crumbling wall hid a treasure, which would have been found had it collapsed, so he prayed for it to be repaired. A congregation with many leaders would be troubled, while one with one strong leader would prosper, so Elijah prayed for the worshipers to be rewarded according to their goodness or lack thereof. And then Elijah disappeared.

The seven other tales similarly teach children to follow Elijah's good example. On hearing each one, children pray for more. And goodness naturally follows. Alyssa A. Lappen

Stories of the ancient prophet Elijah appear in cultures and traditions from Curacao to China to Eastern Europe, following the flight of Jews throughout history. Eight of these tales have been gathered and embellished in this enchanting book by Barbara Diamond Goldin. Master illustrator Jerry Pinkey's stunning and lovely watercolors vividly capture the details of the times, places, and people visited by the prophet. Disguised as a worn traveler and, oftentimes beggar, Elijah brings hope to those in need, and wisdom and friendship to those judged worthy. The possibility that at anytime we can be visited by this wise and generous prophet should encourage us all to treat each person we meet with careful consideration and kindness, as if they are Elijah himself.

On Passover, the Jewish people recall their slavery in Egypt; each generation must remember as if they themselves had been slaves.

It is also the holiday when they remember the prophet Elijah, welcoming him figuratively into their homes to share the Pesach feast and wine. One highlight of the annual Seders is sending the children to open the door for Elijah.

This story is about one rare time when Elijah paid a visit, as he does from time to time, to reward especially righteous and deserving people. Disguised as a magician, he laid a feast for Hayim-Jonah and Rivkah-Bailah, a couple of great faith who gave their last pennies to the poor people's Passover fund, for there were others having still less than they.

The story itself is a feast of faith for the eyes, ears and heart. Alyssa A. Lappen

When I saw the title of this book on Amazon, I realized that I hadn't read it yet this Pesach. I jumped up from the computer, ignored the mess in my son's room, and found the book still on his shelf. Reading it, tears came to my eyes as in all other years. My son's 11 now; he probably thinks he's too old for a picture book, but I bet he'll re-read it now that I have it out. It was always one of our favorite books to share about Judaism, because it's so universal. In the story, a poor family gives away everything to even poorer people, and yet Elijah comes to be their seder guest--bringing them joy and comfort and affirmation of their faith. I'm weepy again just thinking about it! Really, this one is worth ordering and keeping.

At one point in "The Passover Journey: A Seder Companion," author Barbara Diamond Goldin explains that there are four different places in the Bible that instruct parents to tell the Passover story to their children. The Rabbis who created the Seder came up with the idea of four different children who represent four different ways to tell about the Exodus: the wise child, the wicked child, the innocent child, and the child who does not even know how to ask a question. This develops the goal of telling about Passover so that each child can understand the story. Within that context it becomes clear that "The Passover Journey" is a volume that can speak to any child (or former child) whatever initial knowledge about the Seder they have to the reading of this book.

Illustrated by Neil Waldman with drawings of warm pastel colors that recall the temple art of Ancient Egypt, "The Passover Journey" is divided into two parts. Part One, The Israelites' Journey: The Story of the Exodus, goes back to the enslavement of the Israelites and the birth of the baby Moses. The story tells of the ten plagues that befell Egypt and ends with the Israelites walking through the parted Sea of Reeds to freedom. Part Two, Making the Israelites' Journey Our Own that tells us all about the Seder and then details its Fourteen Steps. The first part is fairly familiar to those who have read the book of Genesis or seen either "The Ten Commandments" or "The Prince of Egypt." Obviously the second part is going to be the most informative and Goldin explains everything from haroset (an apple and nut mixture that looks like the bricks and mortar the Israelites used to build Pharoadh's cities) to the well known Seder song, "Dayyenu." The Fourteen Steps of the Seder are laid out and Goldin makes a point of anticipating and answering the questions that could be asked (by any one of those aforementioned four children).

The strength of this book is that it asks and answers questions about Passover that not only lead to an understanding of its rituals and symbols, but also provides an appreciation of their historical context. I knew that as much as I knew about the story of Passover that I knew little about the Seder; this book simply proves how little I knew. This book is ideal either for children who have questions about Passover and the Seder, or for their parents, who would like to be able to answer their children's questions on their own.

I have been at a seder for several years where every participant was given a copy of this book for the night, in addition to whatever varied haggaddot they brought. Every year i thought this was a great idea. I recommend trying this at home! About the book: The pictures are lovely, and it really does act as a good companion to a standard Passover haggadda. This book tries to revitalize the stories and add new facts and perspectives. This is worth buying!

Wonderful, Splendid, what more can I say. A tale of cooperation in getting fire for the people. Coyote, usually a trickster, works with other animals to get fire from the mountain. Highly Recomended for Children of all Ages.

At this time in history, this volume is a valuable addition to any library. Children and adults can gain a greater appreciation for the Jewish heritage, Jewish religion and Jewish people. This generous collection includes stories and poetry from over 30 different notable books by well-known authors of the Jewish community that have been published in the last sixty-four years.

If you do not know about the holidays: Yom Ha-Zikaron and Yom Ha-Atzmaut, you will want to read this book. You will gain a much deeper appreciation for Israel, and the situation of today's state of affairs...

What a disappointment to find out that this book is out of print. It is refreshing to find a book that diverses from the usual Purim tales about Haman or Purim costumes. This story can be used in many circumstances in which a person can overcome adversity to contribute positively in the community around them. Herschel is blind, but finds other ways to be productive in a world that has him labeled. My students were totally spellbound as I read to them. Great story.

I was disappointed to see that this book is out of print and hard to get. I read it to a group of children last week that were totally spellbound from the beginning to the end. It is difficult to find Purim books that deviate from the traditional "Esther and Haman" story of the Megillah. This book took a totally different angle, focusing on human worth. The little boy in this story made his disability (blindness) secondary, and showed his town (and the reader) that a disability is only one if viewed as such. He found other ways of contributing to his community. Find this one if you can.

Hershel was a bit of a teivele (devil). He was the only boy in his village who could not see, but that did not stop him from making mischief, as boys will do.

He behaved well in school, but grew bored when the others practiced their writing; that was when he pulled a frog from his pocket and let it loose to revel in hearing the teacher, Reb Shimmel, jump up and down and dance around the frog.

He caught his frogs at the river, his favorite place in the town. There he had frogs, water, and friends--and mud to play in besides, He loved building tunnels and mountains in the smooth cool mud, and often came home dirty.

His mother Basha would scold him for getting so dirty, for it made more work on top of all she had to do to keep them clothed and fed since Hershel's father had died.

This year when Purim came, he wanted more than anything to help his mother make the Hamantashen--shaped like Haman's hat--the cakes that they would carry from house to house as sweet gifts to remember the joyful victory of good over evil so long ago in Shushan. His mother told him that to help, a person needed eyes.

Hershel climbed into bed, said the Shema, and whispered his prayer to God, to be able to really help his mother. That night he dreamed of an angel descending on a silver ladder, who bent and spoke to him. "Make what you see," she told him. "But I don't see," he protested. "The doctor from Kotsk said I shall never see again."

When Hershel awoke the next day, he told his mother the story from his dream, and determined to help her shape the Purim cookies that year--by feeling.

Guidelines prevent me from telling precisely what happened in the last 12 pages of this story--but it's quite a tale. And, as the song says, Purim was "a happy holiday, What a happy holiday!"

The book also includes a two-page summary of the Story of Esther and a recipe for Hamantashen. Alyssa A. Lappen

My children loved this story. This is a wonderful tale about how a child sees Rosh Hashana in comparison or reference to her own world. If the world was created on Rosh Hashana, it MUST be the world's birthday therefore we need . . .