Nine Dancers of Light

by Shannon Silverstein, Melinda Hartstein (Illustrator)

Overview

In this story inspired by a Holocaust survivor's Hanukkah memory, a young boy named Seth spots a beautiful menorah for sale in a store window. Determined to buy it for his mother for Hanukkah, he sets out to do odd jobs, so that he will have enough money to purchase it. Just as Seth is ready to buy the menorah, he comes upon an injured, homeless dog. His heart is torn between buying the beautiful menorah or rescuing the poor, wounded creature.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940157759223
Publisher:	Sailors Cove Publishing House
Publication date:	12/02/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Author’s Biography

Born into a family of writers and educators, Shannon Silverstein grew up in Dunedin, Florida. She and her husband and their three children currently make their home out west, in a big house filled with cats, dogs and the sounds of little children.

Born with congenital heart disease, Shannon spent much of her childhood in local children’s hospitals. She found great consolation in her pets, as they brought her comfort in a way that people could not. In return, her passion since childhood has been to improve the dire circumstances faced by multitudes of homeless animals, and to increase awareness of the cat and dog overpopulation problem that plagues many areas of the country. She has worked with cat and dog rescue programs and the plight of homeless animals is a recurring theme in her stories. One of Shannon’s missions in life has been to be a voice to improve the lives of all of God’s creatures and to bring comfort and hope to children of all ages.



Artist’s Biography

A Florida native, Melinda Hartstein was born in 1986 on the gulf coast. She spent her first decade of adulthood in North Carolina at Camp Lejeune with her husband while he served in the United States Marine Corps. Now a mother of two young children, Melinda and her family reside in her home town of Dunedin, Florida. It wasn't until very recently that Melinda learned of her Jewish heritage. Having always been drawn to it, she humbly and boldly embraces it.

Melinda has always enjoyed art and is a self-taught mixed media artist working in both traditional and digital mediums. She has found art to be a vital therapeutic outlet while battling a chronic and debilitating rare disease known as Dysautonomia. Many of her works have emerged from the pages of sketch books kept during long hospital stays.

Finding inspiration in the beauty of life, as well as in the struggles faced by many, she is dedicated to giving others a voice and bringing awareness to both human and animal welfare. Hope and awareness have been a prevailing theme throughout her work. Nine Dancers of Light continues these themes, while teaching a part of history that must never be forgotten.

As the last remaining survivors fade away, it's our duty to make sure that their stories live on, and that their suffering was not in vain.