A Jewish Princess Story – for Shavuos

Jewish princesses may be the stuff of legend, but it’s not always the GOOD kind of legend.

If you’re a Jewish parent, especially if you have girls, you know about the constant search for great stories of role models from the Torah and Tanach.  And since girls love princesses, it would be a wonderful bonus if there were any really awesome Jewish princesses.

And there ARE – that’s the amazing part.  Like Ruth / Rus / Rut – whatever you call her.

I’ve wanted to write a Jewish fairy tale for years and years.  A friend mentioned it a long time ago – so long ago that I’ve forgotten who, or else I would definitely give them credit.  And the character of Ruth is just such a tremendous role model in so many ways (all the incredibly scandalous backstory aside – though it’s fascinating stuff if you want to study this megillah on a more adult level).

I created a couple of different iterations of the story over the years, but I was never completely satisfied with it.  Finally,

I sat down, worked out some of the issues that I had with the text, and gave it a new name: Humble Princess: A story of Ruth.

It’s called “a” story of Ruth instead of “the” story of Ruth because some of the ideas shared in this book are a little different from those shared in the pshat and Midrash.  There are some problems with the literal text of this story that make it very difficult to share with kids – like the scene where Ruth seduces Boaz.  So I simplified things a little while (I hope!) remaining true to the core ideas here, like Ruth’s commitment to the Jewish people.  I’ve also – because it’s a princess story first and foremost – amped up the rivalry slightly between Ruth and Orpah, which isn’t present in the original.

So this is a different kind of book for me.  I’ve never done a kids’ book before where I took liberties with the text of the Tanach and played around with the story to this extent.  But I still believe this story is true to the message of the megillah and of Shavuos.  I’d be honoured if you’d check it out (and I welcome your feedback!).

… And finally, while we’re talking about new books for Shavuos, might I recommend THIS book???

Yossi and the Monkeys, a gorgeous new picture book by ME!  Now available in hard and softcover from Kar-Ben Publishing.

If you’re looking for other Shavuos stuff, you might enjoy (from the archives)…

• Stand-up toilet roll Ruth (I know, sounds irreverent, but it’s not!) activity
• Shavuos Narration for Homeschoolers – simple text to read and share with kids
• FREE Shavuos Lapbook!  (I still love looking at these, even after years and years…)
• Shavuos Meal Plan (for a 3-day yom tov in Canada – here, it’s usually only one day; big difference!)
• … And lots and lots more!

Give this awesome yom tov the respect it deserves; celebrate it with books, crafts, anything else you think of.  You can even let me know how YOU celebrate in the Comments!

Tzivia / צִיבְיָה

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