Rachel's Roses

Rachel Berger needs twenty-five cents to make her dream come true. But for Rachel, twenty-five cents is a fortune--and she's running out of time.

A Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Title

Third-grader Rachel Berger longs to be different. At the very least, she'd like to be set apart from her copycat little sister, Hannah. The second Rachel spots the glass rose buttons at Mr. Solomon's button shop, her heart stops. They'll be the perfect, unique touch on the skirt her mother is making her for Rosh Hashanah. There's just one problem: Rachel can't afford them. With her focus set on earning enough to buy them before the holiday, will Rachel lose sight of what's really important?

Themes of sisterhood, sibling rivalry, and strong family values are organically woven in to this charmingly illustrated chapter book set on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the early twentieth century.

Ferida Wolff worked as a teacher and a journalist before becoming a writer. She has written more than a dozen books, including It Is the Wind, illustrated by James Ransome. Ferida lives in New Jersey.

Margeaux Lucas began drawing at age four and never stopped. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, where easy access to the enormous historical riches of Manhattan's Lower East Side allowed her to truly immerse herself in her illustration research for this story.