Shalom Everybodeee! Grover's Adventures in Israel by Tilda Balsley- ADVISABLE

Balsley, Tilda. Shalom Everybodeee! Grover’s Adventures in Israel, PICTURE BOOK. Kar-Ben Publishing, Inc., 2016. $16.99. Grover goes on an adventure through Israel and emails his friends back on Sesame Street along the way. He visits famous Israeli landmarks such as the Western Wall, the Machane Yehuda market, and the Dead Sea. He also experiences working in a kibbutz (a farm community), eating falafel, and participating in a camel race. The story is read through the point of view of the emails that Grover sends to his friends. He tells them about his experiences and asks them questions. I read this entire book with Grover’s voice in my head as narration. It’s a great book. I liked the specific information about the country and it highlighted a lot of things that young readers will be interested in. But, Grover’s voice helped sell me on it. I think the fact that most (are there any?) people won’t be able to replicate that voice while reading it aloud and that takes away some of the magic. PRE-K, EL (K-3)- ADVISABLE. Reviewed by Shay, School Librarian