A charming introduction to Judaism. An enchanting read for young and old alike. The illustrations are charming. I highly recommend this book.

Written as a dairy Ruth - 12 yo - keeps in order to explain the basics of her religion and everyday life for her Muslim friend Ayla, Can I Tell you About Being Jewish? by Howard Cooper is a good introduction to someone curious about this topic. The book is part of a longer series that starts with Can I Tell you About..., covering various topics of interests for a certain age range. I am not familiar with the series and as for now I´ve only read the book dedicated to Judaism.

The book is written in an easy, non-sophisticated voice, that suits the audience. Ruth is living in England, her father converted to Judaism, is attending a liberal service and has her own opinions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - an addition to the story that in my opinion sounded too apologetic.

She is theoretically speaking to a Muslim friend, but the information is available for anyone not familiar with the Jewish faith, as it explains the various holidays, the Shabbat, the inner dynamics of the Jewish family and the main milestones of a Jew. There are also some historical information made available to the reader, such as the Kindertransport and the recent issues of the refugees from the Middle East, that her family invited to the Shabbat table, as part of the rules of hospitality.

Essentially, being Jewish mean more than listing out a couple of - relevant - features though. It means a non-stop conversation and making choices that involves both tradition and modernity. ´I suppose everyone needs to work out for themselves what kind of Jew they want to be´, said wisely the 12yo Ruth and as for now, she is perfectly right.


he publisher in exchange for an honest review

This is a good children's book on what it means to be Jewish. It is good for children and even adults will probably enjoy it. I would recommend it.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

When you read this book, you will feel as if you are having a conversation with the author. The author begins the book by telling the reader that she had a diary that she kept that answered a friend’s question about why she was Jewish. She said her mother’s Jewish heritage meant that she and her brother were Jewish even though their father was a Jewish convert.
She tells her friend that the Torah is like the trunk of a tree and that Jewish customs are like the branches that grow from it. She also discusses her upcoming Bat Mitzvah and what it means, as well as telling you about her brother’s Bar Mitzvah ceremony.
You will enjoy learning about Judaism in this friendly, enlightening way, it is a good introduction to Judaism for children and young people!

This book is an excellent explanation of being Jewish as told through the words of a twelve year old Jewish girl to her non Jewish curious girlfriend. Simple answers to questions never asked but wondered. I loved the book and can’t wait to buy for my family’s young ones.

Just finished this book, thoroughly enjoyed it, was explained very well the customs of the Jewish faith in a clear, simple way. Read this as an adult and I still enjoyed it.

I tried to like this one, and I did in some spots. It’s a decent enough explanation of much of Judaism, but there are some things that don’t work for me. First, it’s written in the form of a diary. But it reads not like a young girl’s diary but like someone writing in the form of a young girl'’s diary. It just doesn’t seem realistic. Also, there are some issues with the explanations. For example, even in the beginning she’s explaining sabbath. She says that some people don’t keep it. Ok, but what does that mean? Keep sabbath? She’s talking to a Muslim girl, but she says Shabbat is the Jewish sabbath, but what is that? The multiculturalism is nice, but it seems forced. The drama within the pages seems to be thrown in to add realism......... but seems forced. It just didn’t work for me.

This is a very readable look at what it means to be Jewish both today and in terms of the religion's long history. The book is organized as a journal that a twelve-year-old Jewish girl, Ruth, shares with her close friend, Ayla, who is Muslim. There is some plot centered around Ruth's family to frame the narrative.

This book is expansive and inclusive. It makes room for people with a strong belief in God and those who are more cultural Jews. There are descriptions of holidays, customs and values.

Those who are Jewish can learn from this book as can those who are not. I found this to be an excellent, liberal take on the Jewish faith.

This would make the perfect companion book to a unit of work on Judaism. It covers all the expectations within the educational framework and gives it from a faith perspective.