Leah Berkowitz – författare

Take a fresh look at the Bible stories you think you know, retold using the Jewish concept of midrash.Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Moses. We think we know their stories, but the Bible tells us only part of it. What if we could see the full picture?Maybe we’d discover that……Adam and Eve were challenging the rules, growing up.…Noah felt fearful and angry, desperate for any kind of hope.…Abraham and Sarah gleefully, recklessly smashed idols in his father’s workshop, and were stunned by a revelation that would change their world.…Moses could not imagine that the Israelites would want to follow him, and felt dread at being asked to lead.Maybe these iconic figures of the Bible were people just like us, filled with fear and joy, jealousy and passion, mischief and love.Maybe it happened this way.This is a modern take on Bible stories, with relatable characters; not earnest and reverent, but not transgressive either. It explores timeless themes of interest to kids, including fairness, sibling rivalry, perseverance, forgiveness, courage. Maybe It Happened This Way also covers many lesser-known narratives and lifts up the stories of women in the Bible as well.Includes an introduction explaining of the Jewish concept of midrash—stories created to add new layers to our understanding of the Bible; a discussion guide with questions; a values guide and index of values; charming pen and ink illustrations throughout, and a guide to sources for each Bible story."This spirited collection will make the Jewish people’s beginnings tangible to today’s readers." —KIRKUS REVIEWS

STARRED REVIEW! "A sweet, accessible, child-centric story." --School Library JournalA boy and his mom find a creative way to make a new apartment in a new city feel a bit more like home as they prepare to celebrate the fall holiday of Sukkot.Everything is different and nothing feels like home for a boy who has moved to a new city with his mom. As they unpack together, he can’t find his special blue blanket, he misses his old yard, and he worries that they won’t be able to celebrate holidays as they once did. Calm and sensitive guidance from his mom, who describes how the Israelites had to move and adapt to new surroundings throughout the ages, also includes some hilarious ideas from the rabbis of long ago as they tried to imagine where it might be possible to build a sukkah—the temporary hut where ancient Israelites sheltered during their pilgrimages. The boy begins to see that different isn’t necessarily worse, and a new place can begin to feel more like home, especially when family is together.