Miriam and Her Dancing Shoes

"Uplifting...about finding reasons to celebrate the successes of life, even when times are tough."--School Library Journal

An AJL Holiday Highlights book!

This interpretation of the familiar biblical story of the Exodus shifts the focus to Moses' older sister Miriam, whose bravery and celebratory dance provided hope for her people during a dark and dangerous journey, and shows how emotional needs can be as important as physical ones.

The Israelites are fleeing slavery in Egypt. There is no time to pack, but Miriam brings her timbrel and her dancing shoes. Her brother Moses is frustrated, "We're running for our lives, not planning a party!" But when they need to cross the Red Sea, it is Miriam who keeps their spirits up, leading her people in a dance towards freedom.

The first woman rabbi ordained by the Reconstructionist movement, Sandy Eisenberg Sasso has used her career as an award-winning author to change how children and adults think about women in Jewish tradition. Sandy and Dennis Sasso became the joint leaders of Congregation Beth-El Zedeck in Indianapolis in 1977, where Sandy served until her retirement in 2013. A prolific writer, Sasso has written a number of Jewish children's books, winning Publisher's Weekly's Best Book of the Year Award for But God Remembered: Stories of Women from Creation to the Promised Land in 1995 and A Prayer for the Earth in 1996. She has also written resources for parents and a book on midrash. Sasso continues to work with her cohort of fellow first women rabbis from the Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox movements, speaking about their experiences. She lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Joani Rothenberg is a fine artist whose work includes illustrations, Judaica art, murals and landscape paintings. She has been appointed Artist-in-Residence for numerous academic, faith-based and arts institutions. During these placements, she creates murals, conducts workshops, or develops art instruction curricula. She is also a board-certified art therapist, and has created programs and teaching modules to articulate the benefits of art therapy. Joani's work -- which has been presented in several prestigious exhibitions -- has also been featured in numerous national publications. She lives in Indianapolis, Indiana.