Drop by Drop

The Story Of Rabbi Akiva

About the Author :
Jacqueline Jules is an award-winning author and poet. Her many children's books include The Hardest Word (National Jewish Book Award finalist), Happy Hanukkah Lights, and Picnic at Camp Shalom. She lives in northern Virginia. Yevgenia Nayberg is an illustrator, painter, and set and costume designer. She received a Sydney Taylor Silver Medal for her illustrations for Drop by Drop. She lives in New York.

Review :
Akiva is just a poor shepherd living an ordinary life, until he falls in love with Rachel. Rachel thinks her husband could become a great man of learning but Akiva can't even read! Is he too old to be a scholar or can he follow the example of the water in the nearby brook? Water is soft, yet drop by drop, it can soften the hardest stone. - Jewish Link of New Jersey -- "Website" Poor, uneducated shepherd Akiva meets and marries wealthy Rachel despite her father's protests. Rachel, recognizing the emotional intelligence in her husband, encourages him to begin his education despite being in his forties. Eventually he leaves home to study Torah, again with his wife's support, and after many years he becomes a famous Rabbi and educator, emphasizing for readers that anything can be achieved with patience and self-determination. Author Jules, a many-time Sydney Taylor Honoree, presents a tale that is at once universally accessible and yet so vital to young Jewish readers. She allows her audience to get to know an admirable, kind, and important Jewish hero, but also makes an effort to give credit to Rachel for Rabbi Akiva's success. Without her, he would not have pursued his Jewish education, let alone excelled at it. Illustrator Yevgenia Nayberg offers up a mixture of watercolor and collage to beautifully compliment the story, creating visuals that feel both modern and true to the first century during which Rabbi Akiva lived. While young readers will be sure to enjoy this title during story time, all audiences will appreciate the reminder that success does not come with an age limit.--Association of Jewish Libraries -- "Other Print" Rabbi Akiva is considered to be one of the greatest rabbis of all time. He was a poor shepherd who fell in love with Rachel. She believes her husband could become a scholarly man, except for the fact he couldn't read or write. Thanks to water in a nearby brook, he learns to read at age 40. He became a wise sage with thousands of followers. Find out how this happened. - Cleveland Jewish News -- "Newspaper" Rabbi Akiva, the second century Jewish sage, is considered to be one of the greatest rabbinic scholars and was the inspiration for many legends. Jules, who previously focused on biblical heroes in Abraham's Search for God, Benjamin and the Silver Goblet, Miriam in the Dessert, and Sarah Laughs, illuminates one of the many legends about Rabbi Akiva. A poor, illiterate shepherd, he falls in love with a wealthy man's daughter. Rachel admires how gently Akiva tends his flock, visits the sick, and helps those in need, and she agrees to marry him against her father's wishes. The couple live a poor, simple life but they are happy. Rachel encourages her husband to learn how to read and write and he starts school at the age of 40. But Akiva doubts himself. One day, Akiva stopped by a brook and noticed a hole in the bottom of a rock. 'Water is soft...And yet, drop by drop, it has managed to cut through this hard stone. My mind is not harder than a rock! I can learn--just like water cuts through stone--a little bit each day.' After he masters the Hebrew alphabet, Akiva leaves his wife to study far away with the best teachers. When he finally returns home, he introduces Rachel to his students and insists that she share the credit for his success because she has always believed in him. Nayberg's textured, stylized paintings, in warm green and brown earth tones, beautifully complement the story and the brief author's note provides additional information about Akiva and Rachel. Despite his prominence and importance in Jewish history, this is the first picture book to introduce Rabbi Akiva to young readers and teachers in Jewish settings will welcome it wholeheartedly. VERDICT This engaging read-aloud can serve as an inspiration to all readers.-School Library Journal -- "Journal" A devoted wife is the inspiration behind a noted scholar of Judaism. Rachel, a rich man's daughter, falls in love with a poor, illiterate shepherd named Akiva who works for her father. She recognizes that a man 'with such goodness in his heart, who understood so much about life, must be smart.' Her father disowns her, but they marry and she encourages him to study even though he is 40. Akiva is reluctant, but one day he observes the power of water to slowly erode stone and realizes that 'I can learn--just like water cuts through stone--a little bit each day.' He begins attending school with children, masters Hebrew, and then leaves home for many years to study Torah. Akiva becomes the revered sage of Judaism, 'a wise rabbi followed by thousands of students.' His wife is never forgotten. The historical Akiva lived and studied in the first century CE, after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and worked to codify Judaism's oral laws into the Mishnah portion of the Talmud. Jules has based her warmly told narrative on legends of the sage and his wife. Nayberg's richly textured illustrations are stately and sculptural, depicting Rachel and Akiva with pale skin and red hair. Even those not familiar with Rabbi Akiva's monumental achievements will be moved by his devotion to learning and his wife's loving encouragement.--Kirkus Reviews -- "Journal" Drop by Drop: A Story of Rabbi Akiva by Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg. Second-century sage Rabbi Akiva doesn't get nearly enough ink. According to tradition, he was born a humble shepherd and didn't learn to read until he was 40, yet he became one of the greatest rabbis in history. His wife, Rachel, was supposedly the driving force behind his journey from illiterate am-haaretz to brilliant scholar. In this poetic retelling, Rachel encourages Akiva to learn to read and to study Torah. Despite her love and support, he doesn't believe he's capable until one day he looks into a brook and sees a rock that has been worn away by steadily dripping water. 'Water is soft, ' he thinks. 'And yet, drop by drop, it has managed to cut through this hard stone. My mind is not harder than a rock!' Eventually, Akiva is hailed by the entire town, but he makes sure everyone knows that Rachel is a hero, too. Nayberg's sophisticated, intensely colored, theatrical illustrations enhance the lovely writing. A costume and set designer, she brings the drama and intensity of stained-glass windows to her work. The luminous layers of color, swirls of water, striated hills in multiple greens, swoops of fabric in the characters' robes....just lovely. (Ages 3-7) - Tablet Mag -- "Magazine"