Sophie's Monster Goes to Shul

by Sandy Asher, Alexandra Colombo (Illustrator)

Overview

There’s an imaginary monster in Sophie’s closet. He’s crying because Sophie has outgrown him. She is not afraid of him anymore and nobody else can see him—until Sophie uses her imagination to find her monster a new job.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728460239
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/05/2024
Pages:	24
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	7 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sandy Asher has authored over two dozen books for young readers, including With All My Heart, With All My Mind: 13 Stories about Growing Up Jewish, winner of the National Jewish Book Award for Children's Literature. She lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with her husband, cat Friday and dog Gracie. Sandy and Gracie love visiting Lancaster Public Library as a KPETS Therapy Dog Team.

Alexandra Colombo has illustrated more than 200 books in countries around the world. She loves walking in nature and she loves animals, especially her dogs Kay, Ubi and Ary. She and her dogs work with a rescue dog unit, searching for missing persons in the woods and after natural disasters. She lives in Milan, Italy.

Editorial Reviews

"Young readers will enjoy this magically crafted and illustrated story which is filled to the brim with imaginative details. Reviewer Rating: 5"—Children's Literature

From the Publisher

04/01/2024

Gr 2–4—Sophie's fluffy blue monster lives in her closet (and her imagination), but now that Sophie is no longer afraid of him, he needs a new job. "Oy, oy, oy!" cries the Yiddish-speaking monster, until Sophie takes pity on him. Finding no success for a monster in the kitchen, the car, or even outside, Sophie eventually brings her monster to shul, the synagogue where she, Bubbe, and Zayde (her grandmother and grandfather) go each Sunday. When the monster hears Bubbe kvelling ("feeling happy and proud/ because we're all here"), he's all in. After all, what monster borne of a Jewish child's imagination could resist learning Israeli dances and clapping along to Jewish songs? This playful story celebrates the daily life of a Jewish family and honors religious and cultural traditions in a joyful, digital palette that will appeal to lovers of the film Monsters, Inc. (Indeed, Sophie's monster bears a striking resemblance to Sully). And nods to Judaism aside, any young reader might find themselves kvelling at the notion of a once-frightened child empowered to help their very own ex-monster find a new activity. VERDICT Recommended as a read-aloud for preschoolers and a warm introduction to one joyful aspect of Jewish life.—Rebecca Kirshenbaum

School Library Journal