JANE BRESKIN ZALBEN (1950-) "High Holy Holidays" (Beni's Tiny Tales). Illustration published in Beni's Tiny Tales: Around the Year in Jewish Holidays, 2023 (New York: Christy Ottaviano Books / Little Brown & Company / Hachette Group, 2023). Watercolor and triple-zero brush on paper. 127x152 mm; 5x6 inches on slightly larger sheet. Signed "Jane Breskin Zalben" in lower right image. Archivally tipped to matte. Accompanied by a signed first edition of the book.
Zalben's book follows Beni and his family as they celebrate a year in Jewish Holidays. In the tradition of Beni's Family Treasury and Beni's Family Cookbook, the publication features craft activities, recipes, songs, and stories for each occasion. The image printed on page 25 depicts Beni on the opening night of a "private" piano concert in his living room for his family.
Zalben's illustrations are "sublime as ever, tenderly welcoming us into this magical, delicious place of comfort, tradition, and joy." -Mollie Katzen NY Times bestselling author.
"One of Zalben's most distinctive qualities as an artist is her use of detail and color, including influences ranging from Persian miniatures to Beatrix Potter. Her pictures are never static, and the Beni books capture the energy of children." -The Jewish Book Council.
