Bagels from Benny

Benny adores helping out his Grandpa at the bagel bakery, the best in town. The young Jewish boy loves his grandfather's bagels so much, he wants to thank God for them. But how? One morning, he asks his Grandpa if he could pay him for his work with a big bag of bagels. So equipped, he heads for the synagogue, takes a deep breath, opens the big wooden cupboard that is the Holy Ark, and places the steaming bag inside: "King of the Universe," he whispered. "I brought You some bagels. I know You make them. But You never taste them, because Grandpa sells every last one." Benny keeps this up week after week until he discovers, to his dismay, that a poor man in a tattered coat has been eating his bagels, and not God. How will God know he is thanking Him if someone else is eating the bagels? Grandpa reassures him that by making the world better, he is indeed thanking God. Dusan Petricic's expressive, cross-hatched illustrations, each one as round and warm and brown as a freshly baked bagel, illuminate all of the story's best moments with humor and emotion. This simple, touching Jewish folktale from Spain transcends Judaism as a story of human kindness and generosity of spirit that will resonate with all children. --Karin Snelson