Sit Down You’re Rocking The Boat!

We’re All In The Same Boat is written by Zachary Shapiro (read on for my interview with the author immediately following this review) and illustrated by Jack E. Davis. Today’s Guest Reviewer is 8 year-old Allegra, from the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles. A second grader, Allegra loves playing soccer, swimming, spending time with her family and visiting her Arizona friends!

The book, We’re All in the Same Boat, was about a bunch of animals on Noah’s Arc who were unhappy to be on a boat! They were naggy, bored and grumpy all of the time. They blamed Noah. Noah finally shouted, “We are all in the same boat!” and that helped the animals feel better. They started being happier and then they went to sleep and there was peace on the boat. I liked the book because, I believe in Noah and I love animals and the pictures were really pretty!

NOTE FROM RONNA: This is an ideal book to use when helping kids learn the alphabet since the alliteration from A-Z is quite appealing. You may actually get attached to the astonishing assortment of animals on board Noah’s Arc!

INTERVIEW

I sat down and chatted with author and Rabbi Zachary Shapiro at Totz Only in Burbank last week. I’ve never seen books fly off the shelf so quickly and it’s obvious why – Zach, as he asked the kids to call him, loves what he does. In his third year now as Rabbi at Temple Akiba in Culver City, Shapiro says he “always had a dream of writing children’s books.” His goal was “since being a kid, to bring goodness into the world.” Extra good fortune arrived in the form of illustrator Jack E. Davis, a winning pick served up by G.P. Putnam. Encouraging to me was learning that Shapiro’s manuscript was sent to the publisher unsolicited and then chosen, quite a feat these days when stories of overflowing slush piles prevail! He originally hails from Boston and is also a musician who enjoys playing the guitar and writing music. The audience at his reading last Thursday clearly found his philosophy of goodness and loving kindness contagious. Catch the bug, too, by visiting him either at www.RabbiZachShapiro.com or at www.allinthe sameboat.com