"A Snowman in Jerusalem is a story of courage, determination, and the unyielding human spirit."

Let Pnina's journey inspire you to chase your dreams and find the magic in simple pleasures.

Aaron Zevy's storytelling skills will leave you spellbound. Whether you're looking for a fun family activity or an engaging way to kick off the winter season, Aaron Zevy's storytelling is the perfect choice. This talented author weaves his magic through this story and takes readers on a journey through the imaginative world of seeing the world through a child's eyes.

"A fun winter story that celebrates the novelty of snow."

In this charming winter tale, an Israeli girl dreams of seeing snow and her father works to make her dream reality.

Pnina lives in the city of Beit Shemesh, Israel. Her father grew up in Canada, and Pnina wishes she could build a snowman like he did in his youth. When she asks why it doesn't snow in Israel, he tells her that it does, but only in Jerusalem. It's only about a half-hour drive from Pnina's house to her grandparents' Jerusalem home, so Pnina wonders why it doesn't snow in both places. But she trusts her Abba to tell her the truth, even if her best friend, Chana Leah, is skeptical about the idea. Eventually, her father wakes her up in the middle of the night and piles the whole family into their van. When they arrive in Jerusalem, the sky is full of snowflakes. Pnina waxes poetic about the snow's appearance: "You won't believe that it fell like stardust, sparkled and fell in impossibly big flakes that night against my face. You will have to see it with your own eyes." And if there isn't enough for a snowman, she doesn't have to tell Chana Leah that! Zevy's story offers a sweet slice-of-life story. The vocabulary makes it best geared toward independent readers at the chapter-book level, and Pnina's voice may feel familiar to readers of kid-lit heroes such as Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones or Debbi Michiko Florence's Jasmine Toguchi. Zevy introduces Hebrew and Yiddish words into the text without explanation, though a few are included in the end glossary with definitions that make no distinction between the languages. (Pnina, when explaining meshugahin the text, just says it's "Jewish for crazy.") Some jokes may sail over the head of some youngsters, such as a reference to Pat Sajak and Wheel ofFortune. Tan's textured, full-color cartoon illustrations have an almost cut-paper feel, especially when featuring snowflakes.

A fun winter story that celebrates the novelty of snow.

"An engaging sweet story - kids will love it"

This story is written in the first person by Pnina, a little girl who lives in Israel. She shows us her family through her hand drawn pictures. Pnina is intrigued by a photo of her Dad when he was little, living in Canada. He's building a snowman. She wants to see snow, but it never snows in Israel, or so she thinks. One night, Pnina gets a big surprise, as her parents drive to Jerusalem to see a real "snowstorm".

The illustrations show us the joy of seeing snow for the first time. The portrayal of Panina's close knit family is expressed with love in a style that feels authentic.

As a former teacher, I highly recommend this joyful book to teachers, parents, and grandparents. It's a great "read aloud" and would also be a fine addition to a home or school library for independent reading for children in the primary grades.