Table Of ContentC
o
h
Deborah Bodin Cohen e
is the Rabbi for n
/
J
Lifelong Education at Temple Emanuel in Cherry ag
o
Hill, NJ. She is the author of Engineer Ari and the
Rosh Hashanah Ride, The Seventh Day, Papa For generations, Nachshon’s family
Jethro and Lilith’s Ark, a National Jewish Book
had been slaves to the Egyptian Pharaoh,
Award winner. She was ordained at the Hebrew
Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion and and Nachshon feared that it would be his
lives in Cherry Hill with her husband and children.
destiny too. But when Moses appears
and confronts the Pharaoh, he offers
Jago Nachshon hope —hope of realizing his
graduated from Falmouth College of Art
in 2003 with a degree in illustration. Jago has dream of freedom and overcoming his
illustrated more than 19 books for publishers in
fears. The story of the brave boy who
the United States and United Kingdom. His first
was the first to step into the sea will
book, Fig’s Giant by Geraldine McCaughrean,
inspire young and old alike.
was adapted by the BBC for a television show.
The Little Red Hen, winner of a National Literacy
Association Award, was chosen for inclusion in
Bookstart, a U.K. government initiative to provide
free books for children. His children’s Bible by
Sally Lloyd-Jones won a Gold Moonbeam
Award. Jago lives and works in North Cornwall,
England, with his wife and daughter.
Jacket illustration © 2009 by Lerner Publishing Group
Deborah Bodin Cohen
KAR-BEN PUBLISHING K
a
A division of Lerner Publishing Group r
-
241 First Avenue North • Minneapolis, MN 55401 B Illustrations by Jago
e
1-800-4KARBEN n
Ages 3-7 Reinforced binding
C
o
h
Deborah Bodin Cohen e
is the Rabbi for n
/
J
Lifelong Education at Temple Emanuel in Cherry ag
o
Hill, NJ. She is the author of Engineer Ari and the
Rosh Hashanah Ride, The Seventh Day, Papa For generations, Nachshon’s family
Jethro and Lilith’s Ark, a National Jewish Book
had been slaves to the Egyptian Pharaoh,
Award winner. She was ordained at the Hebrew
Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion and and Nachshon feared that it would be his
lives in Cherry Hill with her husband and children.
destiny too. But when Moses appears
and confronts the Pharaoh, he offers
Jago Nachshon hope —hope of realizing his
graduated from Falmouth College of Art
in 2003 with a degree in illustration. Jago has dream of freedom and overcoming his
illustrated more than 19 books for publishers in
fears. The story of the brave boy who
the United States and United Kingdom. His first
was the first to step into the sea will
book, Fig’s Giant by Geraldine McCaughrean,
inspire young and old alike.
was adapted by the BBC for a television show.
The Little Red Hen, winner of a National Literacy
Association Award, was chosen for inclusion in
Bookstart, a U.K. government initiative to provide
free books for children. His children’s Bible by
Sally Lloyd-Jones won a Gold Moonbeam
Award. Jago lives and works in North Cornwall,
England, with his wife and daughter.
Jacket illustration © 2009 by Lerner Publishing Group
Deborah Bodin Cohen
KAR-BEN PUBLISHING K
a
A division of Lerner Publishing Group r
-
241 First Avenue North • Minneapolis, MN 55401 B Illustrations by Jago
e
1-800-4KARBEN n
Ages 3-7 Reinforced binding
For my mother, Carol Bodin, who taught me to swim—D.B.C.
For my lovely wife, Alex, and the marvelous Lily Peach—J.
Pronunciation: The “ch” in Nachshon is pronounced like the “ch” in Bach.
Text copyright © 2009 by Deborah Bodin Cohen
Illustrations copyright © 2009 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—
without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an
acknowledged review.
KAR-BEN PUBLISHING INC.
A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
241 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401
1-800-4KARBEN
Website address: www.karben.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cohen, Deborah Bodin, 1968—
Nachshon who was afraid to swim: a passover story/by Deborah Bodin Cohen: illustrated by Jago
p. cm.
Summary: When the Israelites flee Egypt, Nachshon exhibits great courage by being the first to step into the Red
Sea, even though he cannot swim.
ISBN 978–0–8225–8764–4 (lib. bdg. : alk. paper) [1. Slavery—
Fiction. 2. Courage—Fiction. 3. Fear—Fiction. 4. Bible stories—O.T. Exodus—Fiction.] I. Jago, ill. II Title.
PZ7. c6623Nac 2009
[E]—dc22 20070428359
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 6 – DP – 14 13 12 11 10 09
eISBN-13: 978-0-7613-5192-4
By Deborah Bodin Cohen
Illustrations by Jago
In the days
when Pharaoh ruled and the pyramids cast
their shadows over Egypt, there lived an Israelite slave named
Nachshon. Nachshon’s parents, grandparents, and even his
great-great-grandparents had lived as slaves. But Nachshon
knew that long ago his family had been free, and he dreamed
of freedom every night.
4
5
6
From dawn to dusk
, under the midday
rays of the desert sun, Nachshon’s father and
brothers labored in the quarries mixing straw
and mud into bricks.
Nachshon slipped past the taskmasters and
smuggled in cool drinking water for them.
Neither the Egyptian taskmasters nor Pharaoh
himself scared the young boy. His family began
calling him “Brave Nachshon.”
7
8
