Maybe It Happened This Way: Bible Stories Reimagined - Hardcover

by Leah Berkowitz (Author), Erica Wovsaniker (Author), Katherine Messenger (Illustrator)

This spirited collection will make the Jewish people's beginnings tangible to today's readers. --KIRKUS REVIEWS

Take a fresh look at the Bible stories you think you know, retold using the Jewish concept of midrash.
Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Moses. We think we know their stories, but the Bible tells us only part of it. What if we could see the full picture?
Maybe we'd discover that...

...Adam and Eve were challenging the rules, growing up.

...Noah felt fearful and angry, desperate for any kind of hope.

...Abraham and Sarah gleefully, recklessly smashed idols in his father's workshop, and were stunned by a revelation that would change their world.

...Moses could not imagine that the Israelites would want to follow him, and felt dread at being asked to lead.

Maybe these iconic figures of the Bible were people just like us, filled with fear and joy, jealousy and passion, mischief and love.

Maybe it happened this way.

This is a modern take on Bible stories, with relatable characters; not earnest and reverent, but not transgressive either. It explores timeless themes of interest to kids, including fairness, sibling rivalry, perseverance, forgiveness, courage. Maybe It Happened This Way also covers many lesser-known narratives and lifts up the stories of women in the Bible as well.

Includes an introduction explaining of the Jewish concept of midrash--stories created to add new layers to our understanding of the Bible; a discussion guide with questions; an index of values; and a guide to sources for each Bible story.

Back Jacket

Adam and Eve. Abraham and Sarah. Moses. We think we know
their stories, but the Bible tells us only part of the story. What if we
could see the full picture?

Maybe we'd see that...

...Adam and Eve were children, happily naming all the animals
they saw, fearful of the forbidden tree, challenging the rules, growing up.

...Noah felt hopeless and angry after endless days and nights
of rain, a world buried under water, memories of mocking neighbors who
perished, desperate for any kind of hope.

...Abram and Sarah, gleefully, recklessly smashed idols in his
father's workshop, were stunned by a revelation that would change their world.

...Moses didn't want to know that the Israelite slaves were
his own people, couldn't imagine that they would want to follow him, felt dread
at being asked to lead.

Maybe these iconic figures of the bible were people just
like us, filled with fear and joy, jealousy and passion, mischief and love.

Maybe it happened this way.