Hashem Is Truly Everywhere

PreS-Gr 2—A simple message about the omnipresence of Hashem (literally "the name," a Hebrew term used by observant Jews to refer to God) is relayed through a singsong rhyming text culminating in a chorus of "Hashem is here, Hashem is there,/Hashem is truly everywhere." When a Jewish boy questions where Hashem might be, his older friend assures him that Hashem is with him no matter where he is, "High and low,/dark and light,/Near and far, day and night." The cumulative nature of the rhyme adds depth to the text, but the exuberant watercolor and pencil illustrations, touched up in Photoshop, steal the show. Cartoon spreads in bright saturated colors depict the boys' travels from their own neighborhood to the depths of the sea and then far into space. Large round faces are mimicked in surrounding pictorial elements such as puffy white clouds, friendly faced fish, and big balloons. While this book will certainly be popular with its niche audience, its message is too specialized for general purchase. But for those collections serving an active Jewish population, it is one to get.—Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library