BOKER TOV! GOOD MORNING!
by Joe Black and illustrated by Rick Brown
The term “Boker Tov”—“Good Morning” in Hebrew, is introduced in this jaunty jingle created and sung by Rabbi Black with an accompanying guitar on the enclosed CD. A little boy shadowed by his scruffy happy pup is encouraged to rise feeling the joy of what each new day can bring. Thanking God for food, the earth, the sunshine and the surprise of each new morning, the little boy dresses, eats and goes to school to enjoy the rest of the day. Brown’s deeply colored acrylic paintings offer secular scenes of a multicultural and multiracial neighborhood full of cookie-cutter, round-faced, wide-grinned children all expressing carefree anticipation of the new day’s wonderful possibilities. The universal theme of starting fresh each new day with a positive attitude overshadows the sacred theme of morning prayers, and while it certainly expresses a positive sentiment, it may not be the most useful book for religious curricula. (Picture book/religion. 3-5)