Rabbi Benjamin's Buttons

Rabbi Benjamin loves his congregation, and they love him. That's why on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the Rabbi's congregation presents him with a special holiday vest with four silver buttons and decorated with designs symbolizing the major holidays celebrated throughout the year. Rabbi Benjamin loves it! He also loves all the holiday treats that his families proudly fill him with-including delicious, crispy latkes; scrumptious matzoh-ball soup; irresistible apple torte; and honey cake.
As the year passes, Rabbi Benjamin's beautiful vest stretches tighter and tighter across his belly, and one by one the shiny silver buttons pop!-pop!-pop! off. When summer comes, Rabbi helps his congregation with their gardening, with the hiding of Chanukah presents, with the apple picking, and the fishing. Will all this hard work help Rabbi fit into his beautiful vest when Rosh Hashanah rolls around again?

Alice B. McGinty is the award-winning author of over forty books for children. She is a writer, reader, writing coach and instructor, book reviewer, author, and mom. If you peeked in her pockets, you might find scraps of paper and a pen, a pebble or two, and a guitar pick. Alice has led music sessions for religious school and taught pre-kindergarten classes in her synagogue for many years. An enthusiastic dancer, hiker, and runner, Alice lives in Urbana, Illinois.

When Jennifer Black Reinhardt was in elementary school and her classmates said that they wanted to be firemen, doctors, and vets, she declared that she wanted to draw the pictures on greeting cards. When she grew up she did that and more. She has an illustration degree from Carnegie Mellon University and is the illustrator of The Adventures of a South Pole Pig (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).