Mighty Micah

It's the hol-i-day of Purim, and a large, pow-er-ful-sound-ing grager gives a small ele-men-tary school boy a strong sense of secu-ri-ty. Mic-ah feels mighty and con-fi-dent when he holds it in his hands and hears the fab-u-lous noise it can pro-duce. He knows the grager will sub-due the fright-en-ing bul-lies in his life, the same way it was used to van-quish the name of evil Haman.

Rev-el-ing in how safe he is with this mag-nif-i-cent item in his pos-ses-sion, Mic-ah sleeps peace-ful-ly and dreams of fine adven-tures. In the morn-ing, he brings the grager to school, where an under-stand-ing teacher real-izes its pow-er to boost stu-dents' con-fi-dence. She offers it to the small-est child in the class, who then feels capa-ble and com-pe-tent. Mic-ah dis-cov-ers that true strength comes from inside, and that he can use this knowl-edge to help him-self dur-ing dif-fi-cult times.

The book's col-or illus-tra-tions are rem-i-nis-cent of Purim. An author's note describes the his-to-ry of the hol-i-day and reminds read-ers of the val-ue of stand-ing up to bul-lies. It encour-ages us to think about the things we can do to make each oth-er feel pow-er-ful and safe. -Helen Weiss Pincus, Jewish Book Council

Charmingly illustrated by Blarian artist Steliyana Doneva in full support of author Jane Yolen's picture book story celebrating the Jewish holy day/holiday of Purim, Mighty Micah will prove a fun and memorable read for children ages 3-6 -- and unreservedly recommended for family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library Judaic themed picture book collections. Of special note is the inclusion by author Jane Yolen of a brief summary of the story of Purim, and how it's themes of strength, courage, and safety can apply to all children today. -Midwest Book Review

A Purim story that extols themes of courage, strength, and safety, this tale follows the adventures of Micah, a young boy who loves his mighty gragger. It makes him feel strong and brave like Queen Esther, and without it, he feels vulnerable and unsure of himself and fearful of the bullies in his class. On the way home from the family Purim party, the gragger is lost. But this gragger has its own power as it travels from a raccoon's hands to the silver fish's mouth to the graceful heron's beak, which then eventually drops it right back at Micah's house. Micah shows his class his mighty gragger and as they learn the Purim story, he recognizes the feeling of power and strength once again.

The colorful and lively illustrations portray the excitement and fun of Purim celebrations along with the seriousness of feeling in control and safe. The repetitive whirr...whirr...whirr of the gragger throughout the story will resonate with young children. A note is included with a brief discussion of Purim and how its themes apply to all children today. Although the term gragger is translated as noisemaker on the first page of the story, its purpose and use is not explained so that some basic knowledge of Purim is needed. Mighty Micah will be a popular Purim story!! -Rachel Glasser, Association of Jewish Libraries