Gabriel's Horn

Kar-Ben Publishing has released another heart felt Jewish culture story surrounding giving back to community and recieving good blessings.

Title: Gabriel’s Horn

Author: Eric A. Kimmel

Illustrations: Maria Surducan

Publisher: Kar-Ben Publishing

ISBN: 9781467794176

Review:

Stories with truth and heart are always a great idea. These types of stories plant the seeds of kindness and giving of oneself into the minds of young children. Gabriel’s Horn is a powerful tale that reflects Tzedekah which means helping those in need and is the heart of Judaism.

Gentle but lively pastel illustrations share a story about boy named Gabriel who witnesses his community slowly deteriorating due to economic hardships. He and his family are barely hanging on themselves. But, one day a soldier knocks on his family’s door and asks them to hold onto a cherished horn that belonged to a relative who played in a jazz band. Reluctantly, Gabriel takes the horn and the soldier mysteriously disappears. When he opens the case the horn is tarnished. They try to clean it but it doesn’t work. One evening some young girls came by asking for donations. Gabriel gave them the last of his allowance. The horn case had been left open and Gabriel noticed a shiny spot on the horn. He also noticed his family was receiving more and more good blessings each time they gave of themselves and as a result the horn became less and less tarnished. Several years had passed and the soldier came back to visit. Do you think he has come for his horn?

Kar-Ben publishing is well known for sharing wonderfully written and illustrated books reflecting the Jewish culture. This story invites readers to give of themselves and if they do blessings will come their way. The author note in the back discusses the true meaning of Tzedakah and Rosh Hashanah. Parents and teachers will love the message behind this story and young readers will be encouraged to act and find ways to help their own communities.