Jacob was stunned. Rachel had devoured his best riddles the way
his father''s customers devoured fresh rugelach. He was about to
say so when he was distracted by a loud noise at the inn''s door.
Standing in the entry was a young woman, who might have been
beautiful had she not looked so distraught.
"I am Miriam," she said. "I hear there is a clever child at this
inn. One who is good at solving riddles."
"I am happy to help you," Rachel said, but Jacob''s voice was
louder.
"My name is Jacob," he announced, stepping in front of
Rachel.
"But I''m the one you''re looking for," Rachel protested.
In this retelling of a jewish folktale, Jacob tries to stump
Rachel with his best riddles but fails repeatedly. When a young
woman in need of help presents Rachel and Jacob with the trickiest
riddles of all, they discover the only way to solve them is to work
together.
As a child, Debby Waldman loved reading so much she used to fall
asleep clutching a book instead of a stuffed animal. Her first
picturebook, A Sack Full of Feathers, also illustrated by
Cindy Revell, was short-listed for several awards and was named one
of the 2007 Our Choice Selections by the Canadian Children''s Book
Centre. Debby lives in Edmonton, Alberta, with her husband and two
children. You can read more about her at www.debbywaldman.com.
Cindy Revell lives in the country near Edmonton, Alberta. In
2001, Cindy was nominated for a Governor General''s Literary Award
for Children''s Book Illustration for Mallory and the Power Boy by
Pete Marlowe. She works in acrylic paints. This is her second
picturebook with Orca.