Rachel's Gift [Hardcover]

Named a 2003 Notable Book for Young Readers by The Association of Jewish Libraries

Spring has come to the little town of Chelm and everyone is busy making things clean and fresh for Passover. At Rachel’s home, a special gift has arrived: Bubbie from Bialystok has sent along her recipe for Bubbie’s Own Matzo Ball Soup. Rachel’s mother is thrilled. Maybe the fragrance of the soup will lure Elijah the Prophet to their home and he will bestow good fortune on them.

The soup is indeed wonderful, and soon it draws the neighbors. But none of these everyday folk could possibly be the great prophet. Or could they? As in Rachel Captures the Moon, the solution lies in the hands of a loving child.“…the “lesson” is accompanied by lively action and smooth prose. The rich watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations in the style of folk art capture the European village setting, and the reds, yellows, and oranges add to the warmth of the tale…. A welcome addition to Jewish folklore shelves.”
–School Library Journal

“Ungar’s brightly colored paintings are an old world aura appropriate to the folkloric setting of the story. Smaller pencil drawings are interspersed throughout the text as well and mesh nicely with the full-color spreads. A natural choice for religious school collections, this will also be welcomed in larger public libraries where demand is high.”
–Booklist

“Intensely colored illustrations explode with fuchsia, orange, green, and blue.”
–The Horn Book Guide

“With watercolored pencil on paper, Ungar creates Chagall-like illustrations that virtually vibrate with color. He uses them tolx