What a sweet story accompanied by gorgeous artwork! Almost A Minyan is as much the tale of a tween’s coming-of-age in her Jewish community as it is a heartwarming tale of love, family, tradition and life coming full circle.
I’m not Jewish and a quick glance at the book told me we would need the included glossary, so that’s where my daughter and I started. The Yiddish and Jewish terms added a richness to the story and shouldn’t stop those not familiar with the terms consider this book. Instead, it provided a look into another religion and culture, and was a great jumping off point for conversation with my daughter.
The story is told in rhyming verse from the perspective of an un-named tween and manages to capture so many emotions: respect, devotion, sadness, joy and pride. The rhythm of the tale would lend well to reading aloud – and for this, I’m a long-standing fan of print editions. This is a book that I would want to hold in my hands and turn the pages slowly as we explore the words and tie them to the images.
And speaking of the images: the illustrations are simply beautiful. Artist Simon provides richly colored pages that capture both the joy and sadness in the tale. The faces are beautifully rendered, the scenes simple but with enough detail to invite you to look more closely.
In a world where we all could use a little more understanding of each other, I would recommend this book for those not of the Jewish faith; for those of the Jewish faith, I think this book is a lovely homage to a huge moment in coming-of-age.
Thank you to Lone Star Book Blog Tours and Sociosights Press for providing me with an electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion. ( )

"Almost a Minyan," by Lori Sales Kline, (with beautiful artwork by Susan Simon), is sweetness all over, and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants their children to experience a story about waiting, growing up, family, loss, tradition and faith.

A Minyan is the required ten Jewish adults for prayer service. This children's picture book surprised me, because, as a Christian who enjoys learning about the Jewish faith, and who cut her come-of-age literary teeth on Chaim Potok's "The Chosen" (which greatly affected my life), I was surprised to see a story about a young girl and her father anxiously awaiting the day when she would be old enough to form a minyan. (My understanding is that, traditionally, a minyan was made up of ten men, from the example of the ten spies sent into Jericho. Now in some shuls, women are allowed.)

The problem is, when there are not ten, so that a minyan is not made, our little girl's father and his group of dedicated faithful do not get to have their prayer service. They cannot even read the Torah. But when there are enough, her father is so happy.

Clearly, the book is symbolic of so much, but it is also just a sweet story of a little girl and her father who must wait for her to grow old enough to be counted as an adult. When we were parenting our now grown babies, my husband and I really believed in delayed gratification. There is simply so little of it these days, and it builds character. Here, the story of this waiting is told in rhyme. I loved each second of it, and each page as well. I could see myself happily reading this over and over again to youngsters.

Thank you to each of the women involved in this book, Lori S. Kline for writing it, Susan Simon on your lucky 18th illustrated book, and Debra L. Winegarten for publishing it. Also, I loved the dedication to Rabbi Sales, the author's brother who mentored her and inspired her to find her own voice in a minyan. Having several of those such men in my own life, I am thankful for each additional one that I encounter. ( )