A BRAVE JEWISH GIRL WHO SAVED HER PEOPLE...

The Jewish festival of Purim starts tonight at sundown and ends tomorrow at sundown. Whether or not you are familiar with the observance of this celebration, many of you may recognize its heroine, a brave Jewish girl named Esther.  Her story has always been special to me - (Click Here to read my post from last year).

Queen Esther Story Puppets - source here

Then Esther the queen answered and said, "If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request:  For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.”

This year I want to highlight a recorded version of her story, expertly told by Jim Weiss in Tales From the Old Testament.

Included on the cd are the Biblical stories of:

• Abraham and the Idols
• The Story of Ruth
• Noah and the Ark
• Queen Esther
• David and Goliath
• David's Dance
• Wise King Solomon

Available through Greathall Productions, Inc. - found HERE.
To see my list of picture books about Queen Esther, go to my post HERE.

A BIBLE STORY OF A COURAGEOUS QUEEN

Queen Esther Seeking Permission to Speak, 2009
Mosiac by Lilian Broca

My favorite Old Testament Bible story growing up was about a Jewish girl named Esther.  Not just because I was drawn to fairy tales and pretty princesses (and this fit in that category perfectly), but mainly because I admired her courage and bravery in facing the King in order to save her people, her love for her Uncle Mordecai, and how she outsmarted the villain, Haman!  She was my childhood hero(ine).

In my younger years, I was plagued by recurring and painful ear infections.  Late one night, during one of these uncomfortable episodes, I remember asking my mother to read the story of Esther to me from our family Bible.  I was distracted for a little while, imagining the whole action-packed tale in my mind and picturing the beautiful young Queen asking King Ahasuerus for permission to enter his court and speak to him, unbidden.  I wanted to be brave, like her.

So in honor of Esther, and since Purim starts tomorrow at sundown, I hope you'll read her story to your daughters.  She's a wonderful role model of courage and loyalty...

QUEEN ESTHER retold in words and pictures by Katy Keck Arnsteen.

THE QUEEN WHO SAVED HER PEOPLE (Arch book) by Carol Greene.


QUEEN ESTHER SAVES HER PEOPLE by Rita Golden Gelman, illustrations by Frane Lessac.


THE STORY OF QUEEN ESTHER by Jenny Koralek, illustrations by Griselda Holderness.