The Golden Bell

by Tamar Sachs, Yossi Abolafia (Illustrator)

Overview

In biblical times, Itamar, the tailor's son, has carefully carried the High Priest's robe—with its little golden bells sewn onto the hem—home for his father to mend. But one day, one of the bells is missing! When nobody turns in the lost bell at the Claiming Stone, Itamar wonders if the tiny bell will ever be found. A surprise ending brings the story into modern times when an archaeologist finds a golden bell at a Jerusalem dig.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541548640
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	02/01/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	24
File size:	28 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	6 - 7 Years

About the Author

Tamar Sachs is a content writer and kindergarten teacher with the Israeli Ministry of Education. She holds a graduate degree in teaching Talmudic stories. This is her first picture book. 

Yossi Abolafia has written and illustrated several books for children, including Fox Tale and A Fish for Mrs. Gardenia. He lives near Jerusalem.

Editorial Reviews

12/10/2018

In 2011, an archeologist found a small gold bell near the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City. Archeologists believe it could have once adorned the hem of the High Priest, who wore an elaborate garment described in the Book of Exodus. Debut author Sachs and Abolafia (A Fish for Mrs. Gardenia) have created a backstory for the discovery, centering on Itamar, the young son of a tailor in biblical-era Jerusalem. Having fetched the robe of the High Priest so that his father can mend it, Itamar discovers that one of the tiny bells is missing. Guessing that it fell off in transit, he frantically searches the roads and hills and visits the Claiming Stone, ancient Jerusalem’s version of a lost and found. The story’s uneven pacing makes for a less-than-satisfying read, but Abolafia’s straightforward cartooning strikes the right tone of earnestness, and anyone who’s lost something special will have sympathy for Itamar—while the final scene, at an archaeological site, raises the interesting idea that nothing is ever really lost. Ages 4–9. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly