Product Description

Michael and Elijah are friends, but when Elijah gives Michael one of his special carved angels, Michael doesn't know what to do. How can be possibly take home a Christmas angel--a forbidden graven image--especially on Chanukah? Full color.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #590513 in Books
• Published on: 1997-09-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780152015589
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
A child's vision of religious tolerance is exquisitely played out in this story about an elderly Christian barber and a Jewish child who befriends him. As a hobby, the African American barber makes elaborate woodcarvings--many of which refer to events or characters in the Bible. Michael, a 9-year-old Jewish boy, often visits the barbershop just to admire old Elijah's carvings, especially that of Noah's Ark--a story that belongs to Jewish as well as Christian teachings. One day when Hanukkah and Christmas coincidentally overlap, Elijah gives Michael a special gift, a carved guardian angel. Immediately Michael is filled with a jumble of feelings--gratitude for such a beautiful gift, concern that his parents might disapprove, and an even greater fear that God may frown upon a Christmas angel, "a graven image," in Michael's home. The thick sweeps of paint, the heavy uses of wood-tones, and primitive images make the settings and characters look as though Elijah carved them himself. When Michael finally reveals the carved angel to his parents, they help the young boy understand how expressions of friendship, love, and protection can be carried into any home, regardless of the household's religion. Michael J. Rosen based this story on the real-life Elijah Pierce (1892-1984), a lay minister, barber, and woodcarver from Columbus, Ohio, whose award-winning woodcarvings are now owned by the Columbus Museum of Art. (Click to see a sample spread. Illustration from Elijah's Angel by Michael J. Rosen. Illustrations (c)1992 by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson, reproduced by permission of Harcourt Brace & Company.) (Ages 5 and older) --Gail Hudson

Review
A child's vision of religious tolerance is exquisitely played out in this story about an elderly Christian barber and a Jewish child who befriends him. As a hobby, the African American barber makes elaborate woodcarvings--many of which refer to events or characters in the Bible. Michael, a 9-year-old Jewish boy, often visits the barbershop just to admire old Elijah's carvings, especially that of Noah's Ark--a story that belongs to Jewish as well as Christian teachings. One day when Hanukkah and Christmas coincidentally overlap, Elijah gives Michael a special gift, a carved guardian angel. Immediately Michael is filled with a jumble of feelings--gratitude for such a beautiful gift, concern that his parents might disapprove, and an even greater fear that God may frown upon a Christmas angel, "a graven image," in Michael's home. The thick sweeps of paint, the heavy uses of wood-tones, and primitive images make the settings and characters look as though Elijah carved them himself. When Michael finally reveals the carved angel to his parents, they help the young boy understand how expressions of friendship, love, and protection can be carried into any home, regardless of the household's religion. Michael J. Rosen based this story on the real-life Elijah Pierce (1892-1984), a lay minister, barber, and woodcarver from Columbus, Ohio, whose award-winning woodcarvings are now owned by the Columbus Museum of Art. (Click to see a sample spread. Illustration from Elijah's Angel by Michael J. Rosen. Illustrations (c)1992 by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson, reproduced by permission of Harcourt Brace & Company.) (Ages 5 and older) --Gail Hudson (Amazon.com Review - Gail Hudson )

About the Author
www.fidosopher.com

Customer Reviews

Positive example of friendship's power to rise above all.
This book has so many pluses! First, it is written in understandable language(my son first fell in love with it when he was only four years old). Second, it teaches important life lessons, like the give and take nature of friendship, tolerance through understanding, acceptance of others' belief's while still valuing your own traditions, and the need to question in order to reach a greater place. Briefly, this story is about a young Jewish boy, Michael, who is drawn to the barber shop of Elijah, a Christian, because it is filled with the intriguing wooden figures he has carved. Elijah explains that these figures mostly derive from the Bible. Elijah gives him an angel figure as a Christmas gift. Michael feels privately afraid of his parents' possible reaction to this gift, not in line with the Jewish faith. He feels even God may disapprove. Ultimately, all works out for the best, and on Channukah, too! All the adults act like healthy human beings, and the young Michael is a character most children will be able to relate to, especially those who live in very religious families. This book inspires us all to go beyond our own spirituality into the real world, in order to make friends, thereby spreading love, understanding, and tolerance.

One of the best illustrators living
I am such a huge Aminah Robinson (the illustrator) fan! Be sure to check out all of the books she has illustrated. And don't even think about buying any of them in paperback. The heart and soul that she obviously puts in to her drawings will move you to tears. This is one of my favorites. The Amazon review does a good job explaining the story to you. It really resonates with all ages. One bit of trivia I can give you is that Aminah herself was a personal friend of Elijah Pierce.

A story for ALL holidays, all readers
I have taught this book for more than ten years. My students are always moved and inspired by it. This book won the "Living the Dream Award," for the book that embodies the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King. It was a starred Horn Book Magazine and an American Booksellers "Pick of the Lists." It was one of Essence Magazine's favorite books that celebrate African-American life, a CBC-NCSS "Notable 1992 Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies," a Hungry Mind Review Children's Book of Distinction: "...this book creates a line of footprints between the two holidays as it does between two households." It's a Parents Magazine Best Books of 1992 and the winner of the National Jewish Book Award. All those awards mean one thing, but the story is approachable, tender, full of feeling, and broadly appealing to readers of all ages.