Books with author Kristina Swarner

Winner of Mom's Choice Award, Teacher's Choice and Moonbeam Children's Book AwardsA colorful picture book that will warm the hearts of children and adults alike, each of its pages contain endearing examples and vibrant illustrations to inspire children to grow into grateful, caring, and giving people. It provides a wonderful way to calm children before sleep, ease their fears, and help them develop an appreciation for good work. Also included are activity pages to help children practice skills for creating gratitude, compassion, and beauty in daily life.

An original Jewish folktale about a girl who knits, a deaf woman, and a piece of blue yarn. When her family invites a deaf woman and her baby to stay, Ruthie, a talented knitter of mittens, wonders how the mother will know if her child wakes in the night. The surprising answer inspires Ruthie to knit a special gift that offers great comfort to mother and baby—and to Ruthie herself. With language and imagery reminiscent of stories told long ago, this modern Jewish folktale will resonate with those who love crafts, anyone who’s encountered someone with physical differences—and with everyone who has ever lost a mitten in the depths of winter.

This book is specially designed in Amazon's fixed-layout KF8 format with region magnification. Double-tap on an area of text to zoom and read. Winner of Mom's Choice Award, Teacher's Choice and Moonbeam Children's Book Awards A colorful picture book that will warm the hearts of children and adults alike, each of its pages contain endearing examples and vibrant illustrations to inspire children to grow into grateful, caring, and giving people. It provides a wonderful way to calm children before sleep, ease their fears, and help them develop an appreciation for good work. Also included are activity pages to help children practice skills for creating gratitude, compassion, and beauty in daily life.

An original Jewish folktale about a girl who knits, a deaf woman, and a piece of blue yarn. When her family invites a deaf woman and her baby to stay, Ruthie, a talented knitter of mittens, wonders how the mother will know if her child wakes in the night. The surprising answer inspires Ruthie to knit a special gift that offers great comfort to mother and baby—and to Ruthie herself. With language and imagery reminiscent of stories told long ago, this modern Jewish folktale will resonate with those who love crafts, anyone who’s encountered someone with physical differences—and with everyone who has ever lost a mitten in the depths of winter.

Once, long ago, the angel Lailah, who knows all the mysteries of heaven, shared her secrets with you. The moment you were born, you forgot everything. But don't worry, in this book, you will lean about all those wonderful secrets again. And you will even know how you got that indentation above your lip! Noted folklorist Howard Schwartz elegantly shapes this legend. Matched with luminous art, Before You Were Born is the perfect book for bedtime - and all the time.

Winner, Mom's Choice Gold MedalMore than just a bedtime story, this enchanting book tells the tale of one little chicken that, with the support of her barnyard friends and the wise moon, has the courage to make her dream come true. The message of the story is uplifting and will encourage children to realize their dreams and talk about them with those they love. Sweet, vibrant illustrations and the rhythm of each character’s actions rippling out toward a positive outcome will engage readers of all ages. Included are bonus activities to inspire children to share and work together to realize their dreams.

In this touching, simple story, a young Jewish girl named Rachel tries to make peace with the impending death of her grandfather.Rachel’s grandfather, her zayde, has come to live with her family. Though no one has told her, Rachel knows it is because Zayde is dying, and she worries what will happen to him. Her friends’ religions offer her no solace, and although she gets some answers from her Rabbi about where Zayde may go, Rachel still can’t imagine her own life without Zayde in it. It is only when she realizes that Zayde will live on in the love and memories they share that she finally begins to find peace.Author Sheri Sinykin’s understated text and illustrator Kristina Swarner’s beautiful illustrations combine to create a moving story about truth, love, and loss.

Editorial Reviews From School Library Journal Grade 1-3–A child asks for a story about "before I was born." What follows is a tale from Jewish legend, based on stories of Lailah, the guardian of the human soul. It is this angel, readers learn, who watches over the Treasury of Souls in heaven. Once a soul is chosen, she brings it down to earth and plants it as a seed in the mother's womb. There she proceeds to tell the soul the secrets of the world: the languages of the animals and of the wind plus the history of that soul, it's past and future. When the time comes to lead the child into the world, she touches the baby's upper lip, creating an indention, as a reminder to keep this knowledge a secret. "But don't worry," the father tells his now sleeping child, "you have the rest of your life to learn all those wondrous secrets again." As a folktale, this story is lovely and provocative. It combines a compelling explanation of a universal physical trait with a religious view of the soul's journey through life. The textured, mixed-media art has a nice mixture of unpolished innocence as seen in the landscapes and calm serenity that exudes from the composed faces. However, in a couple of instances (Lailah bringing the seed in the form of a flower and reading from a lamplit Book of Secrets inside the mother's womb), it is problematic to depict fantastical elements in concrete terms. This book invites interesting comparisons to Mordicai Gerstein's The Mountains of Tibet (HarperCollins, 1989).–Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI

More than just a bedtime story, this enchanting book tells the tale of one little chicken that, with the support of her barnyard friends and the wise moon, has the courage to make her dream come true. The message of the story is uplifting and will encourage children to realize their dreams and talk about them with those they love. Sweet, vibrant illustrations and the rhythm of each character’s actions rippling out toward a positive outcome will engage readers of all ages. Included are bonus activities to inspire children to share and work together to realize their dreams.