Grief is a big topic, especially for little people, but it leaves no demographic untouched. ‘Sitting Shiva’ written by Erin Silver and illustrated by Michelle Theodore describes the Jewish traditions surrounding grieving for a loved one with a frank tenderness.
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A little girl is grieving her mother. Her father doesn’t shave, he rips his shirt, and lights the yahrzeit candle that will burn in remembrance for the 7 days of shiva before flickering out. The little girl is sad and does not want there to be people in their home, but her father tells her it is not the time to be alone. She hears stories about her mom from her aunt, and plays with her cousins. She eats food that others have brought. And when her dad disappears upstairs to her room, she goes and cries together with him. Later they rejoin the group downstairs. Because it is not a time to be alone.
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Having heard the term ‘sitting shiva’ but not being Jewish, I was not intimately aware of all the details that this book describes so tenderly. The grief of the girl and her father are palpable in both the descriptions and the illustrations. It was amazing to me how the simple artwork projected feelings of despair, sadness and hope so explicitly. The little girl’s description of missing her mom - how it is only her food she wants to eat, only her hands she wants to feel combing her hair - broke my heart but also rang with longing and truth. This is not just a story for Jewish children who are grieving, this is a universal story of grief told through the sacred Jewish traditions and rituals. The final page which describes the grieving traditions of other religions, and pulls together how everyone seeks community in their grief, pulls the story together and reaches out to any reader. This picturebook is a must-have for our classrooms and libraries during a time when grief feels so omnipresent. Watch for this book, which will be published May 17, 2022.
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Thank you to @orcabook & #NetGalley for a copy of #SittingShiva in exchange for an honest review.
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Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

A picture book to help young readers and even adult readers to better understand Sitting Shiva. The Jewish period of mourning. But that period is some much more than that.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was a great kids book, though i am not Jewish i think this is an important book for kids to read.

I thought this was a heartwarming and heartbreaking picture book about a father and daughter who are grieving the lost of their mother/wife and about how people of the Jewish faith come together to help them through the rough time to be together.

"Every religion has its own way of mourning death."

In the Jewish faith, a shiva is a "time to be sad, to share memories, to talk about the loved one and to be comforted and nourished by friends and family."

A man is mourning the loss of his wife. His daughter is grieving over the death of her mother. Though the little girl thinks she wants to be alone with her sadness, the community of loved ones that has gathered in her house draws her in, and helps her discover that she will be able to smile again.

Silver presents a simple, touching, and comforting book about the grieving process. Her story is complimented by lovely, soft illustrations by Michelle Theodore.


*Note to publisher: After attempting to post the review to Amazon, I received the following notice - Amazon has noticed unusual reviewing activity on this product. Due to this activity, we have limited this product to verified purchase reviews.

Sitting Shiva tells the story of Jenny who is grieving the loss of her mother. When her family and friends come to her house to sit shiva, Jenny refuses to come downstairs. Hearing the laughter and memories helps her to go downstairs and accept the comfort of her community. Understanding this tradition she is then able to comfort her father and accept things will happen when it is time. This heartfelt remarkable story explains the ritual of sitting shiva which is a seven day mourning period for the death of a family member observed in Jewish homes. The illustrations are beautiful and touching. This story will help readers process grief and understand traditions that they might be unfamiliar with.

Special thanks to Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Beautiful illustrations and simple text to held children understand death and mourning in the Jewish culture. The last page of the book also helps to show that every culture has a different way of mourning those they love but that the commonality is the idea of community. I voluntarily reviewed an advance readers copy of this book.

This is a beautiful picture book about a girl who is grieving her mother. Sitting Shiva shows a part of Jewish life that is not often seen in books for children, let alone picture books. I love this representation and the fact that the family has a diverse friend group as well. It made me cry - it's a lovely book that will be a great addition to any library.

I had heard of sitting shiva before, but this book brought it to life for me. This is a sad and beautiful tale of a girl and her dad who are grieving the loss of a woman who was a mother and a wife. You see how the girl, dad, friends, family, and neighbors react during this process of grief. The author’s note about grief and faith is eye-opening and rings true. I read this via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.

Really a lovely book to explain grieving to children. I love the explanation of Shiva. It also highlights the importance of relying on others when we grieve.

This is an emotional book that is important for children to read. A young Jewish girl loses her mother. The girl and her father grieve together while sitting Shiva, a Jewish mourning ritual. This book shows children that no one grieves alone. Your family and friends are there to support you.
This book says it is for children ages 3-5, however I think it is appropriate for all elementary school children. Erin Silver does an amazing job of breaking down the grieving process for a young child. The illustrations are beautiful and support the story. I think this is a must read for all elementary age children and teachers.
I would like the thank the author, Orca Book Publishers, and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed are my own.

This was a very sweet and heartwarming book! It shows how our family and community can come together in a time of grief and loss to support one another. The art illustrations were also beautiful and fit well with the book. I think this book would be great for elementary schoolers and should be in school and local libraries.

This is a touching book. I had no idea what it was going to be about going in. With the word "shiva" in the title, I actually thought it might be about Hinduism. It's actually the story of a young girl who loses her mother and how the community comes to support her during the mourning period. This book will obviously help any child sitting shiva, but also serves as a great story to teach kids about other religious practices they may not have known about—like me.

This book is perfect for any child who is struggling with the loss of a family member. This expresses how you are allowed to show how you are feeling to those around you as you all have lost someone close to you. Absolutely beautiful.

It's a nice book but not a standout. I will purchase the book should we expand our collection of books on grieving.

This book offered a lot of good information on why certain traditions are followed after death in Judaism. The story has a lot of heart. I'm not entirely sure who the primary audience is, though. It's not quite reflective enough to be for those experiencing loss, but it's a bit too emotional for general instruction.

Sitting Shiva is a sad and gentle story about a young girl whose mother has died and her family is sitting shiva. It explains what shiva is at the end of the book and compares it to other mourning rituals while also showing us by example throughout the book. It also shows us how hard and complicated grief can be, and it gave me lots of feelings about my dad's and grandmas' deaths too. Whether you're curious about shiva or you've lost someone and want a picture book about mourning, this one is worth reading.

I wish I had this book when I was a kid. I was 8 years old the first time I sat Shiva and I didn't have anyone to explain what was happening and it make me feel even more alone.

This story specifically focuses on not being alone, and embracing the Jewish traditional grieving process with your community. I would recommend this to families before the point of experiencing or anticipating loss as well. It would also be beneficial to show children how to be a good friend to someone who is grieving.

I loved every part of this and the illustrations are beautiful!

Thanks to Netgalley for the book in exchange for an honest review.

What a nice, thoughtful little book. As a Jewish person who’s also sat shiva for family members, including a parent, I can absolutely see how this tradition could be a little confusing or overwhelming for a young child, and I thought this book did a lovely job explaining it in a simple but meaningful way. The illustrations were lovely, and the author’s note at the back about traditions for mourning in different religions was a nice touch as well. I’d absolutely recommend this book to any Jewish family with a young child experiencing loss for the first time, or any non-Jewish family looking to help their young child understand the traditions and practices of a Jewish friend.