Shemot
Muzarim (Strange Names)
Written by: Shari Dash Greenspan
Illustrated by Avi Katz Urim
Publications Hebrew September 15, 2003 Hardcover 32
pages $12.00
Shemot Muzarim is the story of a kindergarten where the
children, as observed by the child narrator, have especially
inappropriate names. Zachariah forgets his school-bag,
Shira refuses to sing, Mazal is luck-less and Liraz cannot
keep a secret. The book ends with a surprising punch line
that will charm every reader.
This book will get your child thinking about the meaning
of names and the personalities of the people who have
them. You can then initiate a
delightful word game with your child,
thinking of more names that do or do not apply to the
bearer. What would the narrator say about your name?
The
combination of clever text and pictures makes this book
a real winner. The more you look at the pictures the more
you'll appreciate their subtle charm and humor.
It is hard to target an age range on this delightful and
deceptively simple children's book. We believe that this
book will be appreciated by children of all ages, from
4 to 84!
About
the Author: Shari Dash Greenspan works as the Children's
Book Editor at Urim Publications and at Flashlight Press.
She is responsible for selecting and editing original manuscripts,
choosing and working with appropriate illustrators, and
overseeing the design and layout of each book. She also
translates, or oversees the translation of, acquired English
language children's books into Hebrew.
Shari was born in Savannah, Georgia, grew up in New Jersey,
studied art at Stern College and FIT (Fashion Institute
of Technology) in New York, and moved to Israel in 1988.
She lives with her husband and three daughters in Efrat.
"Shemot Muzarim" is her first book.
About the Illustrator: Avi Katz, Israeli artist,
illustrator and cartoonist, was born in Philadelphia, PA,
USA in 1949. He began his art studies at UC Berkeley before
moving to Israel in 1970, where he completed his degree
at the Bezalel Academy of Art.
Though best known as the artist of the Jerusalem Report
since its first issue in 1990, he has also illustrated dozens
of childrens' books including the prize-winning King Solomon
and the Queen of Sheba, Princess Alopecia, and My Travels
with Alex, as well as schoolbooks, book covers, and newspaper
and magazine articles. He has also created comic strips,
TV animation and multimedia titles and has exhibited one-man
shows of his paintings and illustrations in Israel and the
USA, and has participated in shows around the world. Avi
Katz lives in Ramat-Gan near Tel Aviv; he is married and
has three sons. |
