Peninnah Schram

A little apple tree in the middle of a forest of majestic oaks longs to have stars in its branches as the tall oak trees seem to have, but God says that the apple tree should be satisfied with what it has.

Eight traditional tales from around the world introduce the customs and meanings of Chanukah.

An old and tired winter wind looks for a place to rest. An oak tree orders the wind away as does a mountain. In frustration the wind gathers into a storm and covers the earth with snow. How will a little girl finally offer the wind rest? Allegedly based on a Jewish tale from Soviet Russia. But the writer of the afterword couldn't find the source of the tale in the Soviet Union.

"JEWels is the first of its kind: the living tradition of Jewish stories and jokes transformed into poems, recording and reflecting Jewish experience from ancient times through the present day. In this novel hybrid--jokes and stories boiled down to their essence in short poems--Jewish witticism is preserved side by side with evocative storytelling and deepened with running commentary and questions for discussion. Illuminated here are jewels from journeys,...