Rabbi Barbara Aiello talks about Irene Shaland’s recent book: “I’ve just had the great pleasure to read historian Irene Shaland’s new and most impressive book to date, Shaland’s Porto & Northern Portugal: An Illustrated Guide to Jewish History and Sites in Northern Portugal, Its Capitol Porto and Select Sites in Central Portugal.
In these days when our mobile phones provide thumbnail sketches of places we’d like to visit, Shaland’s book is a refreshing alternative to the ‘grab and go’ approach imbedded in much of historical travel.
Do you recall the days of printed guidebooks? I still have quite a selection. These printed texts lent themselves to thought, study and consideration – values brought to life in Shaland’s up to date, illustrated guide. More than 200 pages in length and, thanks to Irene’s husband Alex, filled with breathtaking photos, this is a book that, if you let it, will guide your Sephardic Portuguese adventure to many undiscovered treasures that shaped Jewish life in this fascinating region.” – Rabbi Barbara Aiello.
New Book Release: Shaland’s Porto & Northern Portugal: An Illustrated Guide to Jewish History and Sites in Northern Portugal, Its Capital Porto, and Select Sites in Central Portugal
The new addition to Shaland’s Portugal Series
Planning a trip to Portugal and looking for sites related to the history of the Jews in Iberia? Love reading stories of Jewish existence in Europe? The Jewish story of Portugal is not complete without a deep dive into the past and present of Porto and the north of the country—part of human history that, for the most part, remained hidden for centuries.
Not anymore! Now, with this unique guidebook in hand, you can travel in time and space to explore the Jewish sites in Porto, Batalha, Tomar, Guarda, Bragança, Carção, Chaves,Guimarães, and Tui.
Read heroic stories of Jewish resilience, ingenuity, and survival in the face of the relentless Inquisition, ruthless monarchs, and the watchful eyes of neighbors. Follow the wandering Jews of Iberia on the run from expulsions, forced conversions, executions, and outright massacres to short periods of relative calm and then packing up and fleeing again.
This travel guide will help you carefully plan an itinerary that best fits your interests and the time of your stay. After browsing through pages filled with insightful, fascinating stories, practical information, maps, and well over 200 gorgeous color photos, you will be ready for the journey of a lifetime.
Once you arrive in Portugal, we will guide you, step by step, to historical monuments, former Jewish quarters and ghettos, synagogues, and Jewish museums, helping you learn about the Jewish communities of Portugal from biblical times to the present day.As you turn the pages of this richly illustrated guide, you’ll have no trouble finding each site and learning about its history right then and there.
Send your curious child, grandchild, niece, or nephew on a virtual adventure of a lifetime!
While reading, or being read to, the Adventures of Jackie the Penguinseries children’s books, your child will be magically transported to a thrilling African safari, enchanted forests of Madagascar, magnificent Yellowstone National Park, and mysterious jungles of India teeming with wildlife.
Kids will learn about lions and giraffes, wolves and bears, lemurs and chameleons, majestic tigers, and many more fascinating animals and birds. And most importantly, together with a small loveable person, who happens to be a talking penguin, they will grow to care about the animals, nature, and people of our planet, Earth, and understand what it takes to be a true friend.
In Jackie the Penguin Goes on Safari, your child will meet a small South African penguin called Jackie who dreams of visiting wild animals of Africa and learning about their appearances, behaviors, and characters. However, being a bird who could not fly, Jackie was terrified to meet the big, scary, and possibly dangerous inhabitants of the African savannah. So, his dream remained, well, just a dream. But one day, Jackie’s life changed when he met and instantly became friends with two world travelers, Irene and Alex, who were on their way to an African safari.
In this book, filled with bright color pictures and vivid descriptions of African wildlife, kids will learn how relying on true friends helped Jackie to overcome his fears and anxieties and realize the dream of his life. https://amzn.to/3FjmS6Q
In Jackie the Penguin Goes to Madagascar, your child will join Jackie the Penguin and explore enchanted forests of Madagascar. This fascinating adventure story is richly illustrated with vivid, bright photos of adorable lemurs, colorful chameleons, tiny frogs, strange insects, beautiful birds, and other fascinating wildlife. No matter whether large or small, these creatures are very special because most of them do not exist anywhere else on Earth. https://amzn.to/3NQ2RLm
In Jackie the Penguin Goes to America, your child will join Jackie the Penguin and meet majestic bison, powerful black bears, fierce grizzly bears, ferocious wolves, sly coyotes, enormous moose, and many other American wild animals; be in awe of geysers, glaciers, and caves; and learn about the local Native American tribes. https://amzn.to/3zFZRfL
In Jackie the Penguin Goes to India, your child will join Jackie the Penguin and travel through several Indian wildlife reserves brimming with exotic animals and birds in search of the majestic Bengal tiger. https://amzn.to/3CpO1YR
In these children’s books, exotic animals and wondrous nature become real with the help of large, vibrant color photographs. And reading these books is just pure fun. Why? Because the stories are told by a small person, who happens to be an adorable penguin. While following Jackie’s adventures, kids will love learning about nature and let their imagination go wild!
And by the way, books in this series can be read in any order.
Are you and your child ready to embark on an incredible journey with Jackie the Penguin? You know where to find this book!
“Jackie the Penguin Goes to America: Jackie Visits American National Parks and Learns About the Animals, Geysers, Glaciers, Caves, and Native American Tribes”
The third book of “Adventures of Jackie the Penguin” series
In addition to the paperback edition, the eBook edition of “Jackie the Penguin Goes to America” is now available for purchase and is on sale for only $0.99: https://amzn.to/3XnNgr4
Would your adventurous child enjoy exploring Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier National Parks in the company of a little penguin?
In this third book of the Adventures of Jackie the Penguin series, your child will join Jackie and meet all kinds of wild animals; be in awe of geysers, glaciers, and caves; and learn about the local Native American tribes. Vibrant color photographs illustrating every animal make them come alive. And reading the story is just pure fun. Why? Because the story is told by a small person, who happens to be an adorable penguin. By the way, books in this series can be read in any order.
While following Jackie’s adventures, kids will love learning about nature and let their imagination go wild! Whether your child reads this story on their own, or you are the one reading it to them – Jackie the Penguin Goes to America will not only entertain and educate but also foster your child’s desire to explore our world.
Created by an award-winning photographer and author, Alex Shaland, this fun-filled story uniquely combines elements of a picture book and a chapter book. What sets it apart from other children’s books is the abundance of stunning color photographs and fascinating information about nature to learn.
Are you and your child ready to embark on an awesome journey with Jackie the Penguin? You know where to find this book!
“For a deep dive into Lisbon’s Jewish history, we will reconstruct the past while traveling not only through the modern city but also through time.”
This book is a vivid and fascinating look into Lisbon through the lens of Jewish history and culture. Irene Shaland paints a colorful story spanning centuries from Biblical times to today through a close-up look at Portugal’s capital (and other beautiful locations too.)
The book is told through a broad look at each time period, and zooms in each chapter for a close-up look at Jewish life during the time. The information – told like a story, as if Irene were walking you right through Lisbon, with intelligent observation – is complemented by stunning photographs.
Shaland’s Lisbon is perfect for anyone curious about Jewish history, anyone going to Lisbon, or anyone just curious about the area (it feels like I got to take a little trip there!) The book is perfect for reading on the go, as it takes you through the streets and points out architecture and little details you otherwise might’ve missed.
Though I’m not Jewish myself, I enjoyed learning more, and was fully fascinated and entranced by Irene’s storytelling that brought Jewish life from centuries ago into the present. But be warned – once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop!
“Drawing on extensive academic research and personal experiences during an extended stay in Portugal, Irene Shaland paints a vivid picture of the Sephardic Jewish experience in Iberia from Antiquity through modern times.” –GTA Books. Take a minute to check this book out:
I am happy to share good news: in addition to the paperback edition, the eBook version of my latest book “Jackie the Penguin Goes to Madagascar: Jackie Meets the Animals of Madagascar and Learns to Care About Nature” is now available at Amazon.
This book, the second in the “Adventures of Jackie the Penguin” series, is for children and their parents who love animals and want to learn more about the diverse wildlife of our planet. It is a captivating story told by a small African penguin called Jackie who, together with his two human friends, departs on a journey throughout the magical island of Madagascar. Our heroes came in search of unusual and mysterious animals, and they will not be disappointed.
Young readers are invited to join Jackie and meet adorable lemurs, colorful chameleons, tiny frogs, strange insects, beautiful birds, and other fascinating wildlife. No matter whether large or small, these creatures are very special because most of them do not exist anywhere else on Earth.
It comes as no surprise that Jackie falls in love with these animals, especially after learning many interesting facts about them. But at the same time, he observes scorched and bare land, where not so long ago there stood a forest full of life. Eventually, Jackie begins to understand the importance of protecting the environment.
A child’s learning can and should be fun. With this idea in mind, Alex Shaland wrote Jackie the Penguin Goes to Madagascar and the previous book, Jackie the Penguin Goes on Safari. Both books are part of the Adventures of Jackie the Penguin series, where bright color photographs accompany vivid descriptions of all exotic animals and help the child “see” the world through the eyes of their new friend, Jackie the Penguin.
I am happy to share the good news: Alex Shaland’s new children’s book “Jackie the Penguin Goes to Madagascar” is now released.
In this book, Jackie meets adorable lemurs, colorful chameleons, tiny frogs, strange insects, beautiful birds, and other fascinating wildlife. No matter whether large or small, these creatures are very special because most of them do not exist anywhere else on Earth.
It comes as no surprise that Jackie falls in love with these animals, especially after learning many interesting facts about them. But at the same time, he observes scorched and bare land, where not so long ago there stood a forest full of life. Eventually, Jackie begins to understand the importance of protecting the environment.
Review of “Jackie the Penguin Goes on Safari” by a 5th Grade Student Link to book: https://amzn.to/3FjmS6Q
“(CHAPTERS 1 AND 2) In the first chapter when the penguin says their name it seems funny that they talk. But also the pictures are really detailed and realistic! Not just that but the detail and writing sounds like we are actually in the story, not just in it reading. Some books I just look at but here is one I can actually enjoy and picture myself in!
It is funny to see Jackie is in Africa where not most penguins live here in real life. I think most Land animals live there in Africa, penguins are sort of a mixture of land and water animals. I like how they mentioned that they are a bird but one that can’t fly. Real facts are always good for people just so they don’t get confused on what is real and what isn’t.
New friends are very rare to see in person so it makes it more fun to read when there are true facts like I said and not just facts are good but the illustrations seem better than I can draw!!
( CHAPTER 2 THROUGH 10) It is nice that you mentioned the United States in the book. Usually all books I read don’t include that in there so it’s amazing that they included our hometown. Not to mention the writing and detail they put in the words, JUST AMAZING!
Once again in chapter 3 there are great facts! Along the way I saw how Alex and Irene are humans and Jackie is a penguin. How do they communicate really well? I actually think that the storytelling is really nice, But there was one part where I could think you guys needed to describe more about because I saw that in some parts there are definitions on the side so maybe do that? About their communication, no harm or bad stuff I’ve thought about yet!
(CHAPTERS 3 THROUGH 10) In these chapters it seems like Irene, Alex and Jackie are getting along to the point where they can travel together WHICH IS WHAT THEY DID! And, how does Jackie survive in Africa with not a lot of water? Maybe you guys could include penguin friends that Jackie meets? Other than Alex and Irene maybe?
(CHAPTERS 11 THROUGH 13) These chapters were Awesome, I really think Jackie might need another book!
(CHAPTERS 14 THROUGH THE END) I absolutely love the “who is little tommy” chapter, it is so cute and nice learning about tommy and the wild safari animals.
It was funny at the end when Jackie asked if they were going to see “THE FASTEST ANIMAL ALIVE” which is true because cheetahs are very fast, faster than a normal cat! Impressive!
I enjoy the waterbuck because I learned that they live in swampy and grassy areas like I don’t think they would survive in a desert cause there’s no swampy areas.
For kudu the great I think those facts were amazing! They helped me to learn a lot more about Kudu! The Antelope with blue legs chapter was funny and also makes me want to learn a lot more about antelopes!
I went to see actual safari animals yesterday and I saw a ZEBRA!! I can’t think of anything about the zebra page because I was focused on how good it was. I can’t think about anything else that has problems or something we should change, the book was amazing!
If your child would like to read Alex’s book “Jackie the Penguin Goes on Safari” before or after the event, copies of his book can be purchased at Amazon https://amzn.to/3FjmS6Q
or put on hold through the library catalog: CCPL’s catalog.
Alex Shaland and his children’s book “Jackie the Penguin Goes on Safari.”
