The Reading Warehouse

Multicultural, Nondenominational, Nonsectarian Endorsed by Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish Religious Leaders

A spiritual conversation-starter for adults and children to read together.

"A very long time ago, when the world was new...two children walked in God's garden called Earth. One was named Cain, the other, Abel. They were the first children. The first brothers."

We know the story well. But what can it mean for us--and for our children--today? Award-winning author Sandy Eisenberg Sasso recasts the biblical tale of Cain and Abel in a way that invites adults and kids to a conversation about anger and our power to deal with it in positive ways.

Cain and Abel were born into God's garden called Earth, a world of bright days for working in their fields and peaceful nights to share the stories of their dreams. The first children, the first brothers, they were so much alike yet so different--Cain a shepherd, Abel a farmer.

They lived side by side, surrounded by trees where wonderful, exotic fruits of many kinds grew: everywhere orapples, rasdew, and banangerines ripened all on a single branch. The air was sweet with the smell of pinango, limeberry, and waterloupe.

But jealousy, anger, and fear took all this away. Cain and Abel's happiness came to an end, and with it, the trees' ability to grow these special fruits.

In a world often hurt by violence, this retold biblical story gives children and adults a starting point for discussing anger and its effects on those around us. By harnessing the power we have to deal with our emotions in positive ways, we can once again cultivate the fruits of peace--and change the world for the better.

Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, a parent, spiritual leader and storyteller, is the award-winning author of God's Paintbrush, In God's Name, God In Between and many other inspiring books for children of all faiths and backgrounds. The second woman to be ordained as a rabbi (1974) and the first rabbi to become a mother, she and her husband, Dennis, were the first rabbinical couple to jointly lead a congregation--Beth-El Zedeck in Indianapolis. They have two children, David and Debora, and three grandchildren. Sasso, who holds a doctorate in ministry, is active in the interfaith community, and has written and lectured on the renewal of spirituality and the discovery of the religious imagination in children of all faiths.

Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso is available to speak on the following topics:

• Nurturing the Spiritual Imagination of Children
• Tell Me a Story: Reading the Bible and the Religious Imagination of Children
• Filling in the Blanks: How Women Read the Bible
• Women and Judaism: A Personal Journey
• Midrash as a Tool for Spiritual Reflection

Click here to contact the author.

Joani Keller Rothenberg is illustrator of Adam and Eve's First Sunset: God's New Day and other children's books. She earned a master's degree in art therapy from Leslie College and works extensively with children as an art therapist and as a muralist. She has four children and lives in Indianapolis.