Daniel becomes curious about his parents' mysterious early morning outings.After observing his parents carrying boxes in the snow on several occasions, Daniel asks his mother and his older siblings, Ezra and Leah. He's told that his parents “went out and about.” Not satisfied with this vague answer, Daniel is determined to discover the truth, but after overhearing a conversation between his neighbor Mrs. Cohen, who recently lost her job, and his mother, he realizes that his parents have been secretly leaving the Cohens food and other necessities before the weekly Shabbat observance. Daniel remembers a time when his grandmother was ill and a box of treats was left on the family's porch without a card; his mother explained, “Surprise acts of kindness are the best.” The Maimonides quote that opens the book—“Giving is most blessed when the donor remains completely anonymous”—feels particularly fitting now as Daniel joins his father early the next morning, carrying a box to the Cohens' porch with a simple note: “Shabbat Shalom.” Though simple, the story imparts an important lesson, one that young people will easily pick up on. Soft, lovely illustrations depict an observant Jewish home with several Judaic objects prominently displayed amid snowy winter suburban scenes. The author's note explains that Maimonides was a 12th-century rabbi known for his “eight levels of Tzedakah,” or giving. Characters are tan-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)A beautiful and thoughtful message woven into a brief yet poignant story. (Picture Book. 5-9)

– Kirkus Reviews

Daniel sees his par­ents car­ry­ing mys­te­ri­ous box­es through the snow and won­ders what they are doing. They tell him only that they are ?“out and about.” Even­tu­al­ly, he dis­cov­ers that his fam­i­ly is busy help­ing their neigh­bors, the Cohens, nav­i­gate some dif­fi­cult times. They do not receive recog­ni­tion for their efforts; they are help­ing for the pure joy of aid­ing others.

A note teach­es the read­er the con­cept of tzedakah and explains that this is one of the most impor­tant com­mand­ments in the Torah. It lists the eight lev­els of tzedakah as set out by Mai­monides, the most praise­wor­thy being that of anony­mous giving.

With beau­ti­ful col­or illus­tra­tions and a mul­ti­cul­tur­al cast of char­ac­ters, Out and About high­lights the joy of giv­ing with no expec­ta­tion of reward. This is a won­der­ful sto­ry to read aloud with chil­dren as they devel­op their own capac­i­ty for help­ing those in need.

– Michal Hoschander Malen, Jewish Book Council

Early one morning, Daniel, a boy of elementary school age, awakens to the sound of crunching snow and sees his father walking away from the house, a box in his arms. When asked where he was going, the reply was “out and about.” The next day Daniel sees both his parents out early; again they say they were “out and about.” When he returns home after school, Daniel finds his mother talking with a neighbor about her financial issues and hears that the family has received some anonymous help. Daniel begins to understand what his parents have been doing. He also remembers a time when others helped his family when a grandparent was ill. Wanting to contribute and go “out and about” himself, Daniel chooses some toys from his room to donate to the family along with helping to create a Shabbat dinner. The lesson learned, now it is Daniel telling his wondering younger brother, that he’s just been “out and about,” continuing the family’s quiet acts of kindness without needing recognition or thanks. Back matter includes an explanation of the importance of tzedakah, Maimonides’ Eight Levels of Tzedakah, and a glossary. Fullcolorillustrations,with muted tones, fillthe pages,showing a diversestudent body at Daniel’sclearly Jewish school.A mezuzah is seen on one page, kippot are worn by Daniel and other males, and thefemalesall wear skirts. Offered with asophistication and detail notseen in booksabouttzedakah for youngerchildren,this gentle and accessible introduction to the concept is perfect for sharing with elementary aged students.

– Judy Ehrenstein, Association of Jewish Libraries News and Reviews