Tractor Zack on Sunshine Kibbutz
Tractor Zack on Sunshine Kibbutz
Tractor Zack on Sunshine Kibbutz
Description
Description
On Sunshine Kibbutz, everyone has an important job--even an old tractor who finds new purpose with the help of a young friend and a joyful community. Tractor Zack has always been a hardworking helper on Sunshine Kibbutz. But when his tires go flat and his engine slows down, he starts to wonder if he's too old to be useful. As the kibbutz prepares for the joyful Shavuot holiday, Zack searches for a new job--and a renewed sense of purpose. With help from young Ben and a little creativity, Zack discovers that being useful doesn't always mean doing what you used to do. Set on a modern Israeli kibbutz, Tractor Zack is a heartwarming tale of resilience, reinvention, and belonging, with gentle humor and a celebration of Jewish culture and community. A free downloadable activity guide that highlights the themes in this book is available on the Kalaniot Books website. About Kalaniot Books
Kalaniot Books is dedicated to sharing the richness and diversity of Jewish life and culture with today's children and families. With a special focus on amplifying voices from Jewish communities around the world, Kalaniot celebrates the many ways Jewish identity is expressed--through story, song, language, and art. Every book is a window into Jewish heritage, designed to spark curiosity, connection, and pride in young readers.
Kalaniot Books is dedicated to sharing the richness and diversity of Jewish life and culture with today's children and families. With a special focus on amplifying voices from Jewish communities around the world, Kalaniot celebrates the many ways Jewish identity is expressed--through story, song, language, and art. Every book is a window into Jewish heritage, designed to spark curiosity, connection, and pride in young readers.
About the Author
About the Author
Alice Blumenthal McGinty delights in igniting imaginations. As the award-winning author of over 50 children's books, she makes fiction and nonfiction accessible, engaging, and fun. Some of her other books include Jr. Library Guild Selection A Synagogue Just Like Home and Sydney Taylor Notable book Rabbi Benjamin's Buttons. She often presents at schools and conferences, and loves to travel the world. Alice lives in Michigan. Rotem Teplow is an Israeli illustrator who lives with her husband and two sons in a small village in Israel, near the Dead Sea. She enjoys yoga, reading books, and illustrating beautiful scenery. A graduate of Shenkar College of Design, she currently illustrates for newspapers and children's books worldwide.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
K-Gr 3-In this holiday tale that describes life at a collective agricultural settlement, a dilapidated old farm tractor is given a new purpose when beloved Tractor Zack pulls a load that nearly ends his job before they can celebrate the beginning of the harvest season on Shavuot. In a group effort to uphold tradition and culture, family and friends at the Sunshine Kibbutz share community responsibilities. Themes throughout serve as a cultural anchor for awareness of the community and teach young readers about alternative social settings, such as communal living. VERDICT Imparting community-oriented values related to working together as a team and being resourceful, this is recommended for libraries serving young readers.-- "School Library Journal"
This is a quiz question for all you children's book specialists out there. Name me at least one picture book for kids, published in the United States, that features a kibbutz. One. Just one. If you can do it, then you've a greater swath of knowledge at your disposal than I. And since we seem to live in a kibbutz-less state (from a literary perspective anyway), it stands to reason that it's kind of important that one is being published. It is told from the tractor's p.o.v., yep, and with a kind of Thomas the Tank Engine look to it. What's notable, too, is that it's a modern Israeli kibbutz and not a historical one. A rarity, to be sure.--Betsy Bird "Fuse8 (School Library Journal)"
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Kalaniot Books
Pub date:
2026-04-07
Length:
32 pages
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