Sammy Spider's First Mitzvah

A wonderful book for our 3-year old twin grandchildren, as recommended to me by a friend who is a Jewish educator.

My family really enjoys all the Sammy Spider books.

Sammy never fails us!

Sammy Spider always has lots of questions, especially when it concerns his good friend Josh. Sammy has learned that Josh has caught a cold. Sammy wondered if he could catch a cold too.“Silly little Sammy, spiders don't catch a cold, spiders catch flies,” said Mrs. Spider.Sammy asked if he needed to take medicine too, but of course Mrs. Spider thought that was a silly question too. Sammy learned that every time Josh sneezed you should say Labruit. This means to your health. Sammy wants to do something nice for Josh to help him feel better. This is called a Mitzvah. What do you think Sammy could do?Author Sylvia Rouss has created another fun story for children featuring Sammy the Spider. Colorful illustrations will keep young readers turning the pages as they learn about Mitzvah and the Jewish culture. Parents and teachers can use this simple story to share with young readers to open up dialogue about traditions.

Sammy Spider looked down at Josh who was lying on the couch in his pjs. “A-c-ch-o-o-oo-o-oo!” Even Josh’s teddy bear heard that sneeze. There was definitely something wrong with Josh and Sammy asked his mother what was wrong. “He caught a cold,” Mrs. Spider told him. Mrs. Shapiro had a spoonful of medicine for Josh, and Sammy wanted some too. “Silly little Sammy. Spiders don’t take medicine,” his mother declared, “Spiders spin webs!”Moti, Josh’s new neighbor, soon arrived with a big pot of chicken soup for Josh. It was sure to help him get better. Mrs. Spider told Sammy that “When someone is sick, it is a mitzvah to visit them.” The sneezes kept coming and Moti exclaimed “Labruit.” Of course that was the “Hebrew word you say when someone sneezes.” Bringing that soup was Moti’s mitzvah for Josh, but was there anything that Sammy could do for his own mitzvah? He began to think as he spun a web.This is yet another Sammy Spider tale that young children will love. I’ve read many Sammy Spider tales and this one is a perfect one to introduce the bikkur cholim. Even the youngest children can visit someone who is ill or send a card and will learn just how important this is from Sammy. The ever-popular Sammy, along with Mrs. Spider, impart a lot of Jewish traditions. The artwork is the typical Sammy Spider, a mix of collage and gouache, that has simple appeal. In the back of the book is a brief paragraphs describing bikkur cholim and the mitzvah.This book courtesy of the publisher.

In "Sammy Spider’s First Mitzvah", Sammy the Spider is hanging around again watching Josh suffer from a cold. Sammy wonders if he can get sick like Josh and his mom explains to him how spiders are different from humans. Spiders cannot catch a cold, but she tells Sammy some things that they do different instead. Sammy also wonders why his friend is visiting him with some chicken soup, and his mom explains his friend is doing a mitzvah, which inspires Sammy to do a mitzvah for Josh as well, something that spiders do best.Sammy the Spider is filled with curiosity about what is going on once again in the house that he is occupying. He is a great example of a friendly spider, which I hope will cause children that are afraid of spiders to be less afraid of them. I like how the book teaches a Hebrew phrase in this book related to the wish of better health and how it focuses on bikkur cholim (a mitzvah of visiting people that are sick).Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a free copy of this book from Kar-Ben Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.