ADVENTURE GIRL

Dabi loves digging and dirt and mud.

While visiting Israel with her parents, she spends her time digging for worms, making shapes from mud, and enjoying the mess. Ima and Abba insist that she cease her tomboy ways and be more ladylike. But her aunt is more understanding. Doda Gili calls Dabi an “adventure girl” and has a wonderful plan for her. Gili takes Dabi to join an archaeological dig headed by a woman, who gives Dabi a trowel and directs her to fill up buckets with soil. When the soil is sifted, an ancient gold ring is found. Since all artifacts belong to the state, she can’t keep it, but Dabi is more than satisfied with her adventure. Her parents see only the dirt until Gili tells them of her find and demands that they show pride in her accomplishment, though it seems to take official recognition and a certificate to seal the deal. Dabi is delightfully curious and strong-willed, but her need for Gili’s intervention as a buffer to counter her parents’ gender stereotyping is disappointing. Large-scale, detailed portraits bring the characters, all pale skinned and Jewish, to life and show every emotion, especially at picture-book–viewing distance. Ima’s and Abba’s body language is unsubtle and exaggerated; they appear angry and almost frightening, not smiling until Dabi receives the award. Readers might find the family dynamics quite uncomfortable, perhaps overshadowing what is meant to be an affirmation of Dabi’s skills and determination.

Interesting in its depiction of an Israeli archaeological site, but side issues disturb.