Sherri Mandell won a National Jewish Book Award for The Blessing of a Broken Heart. She has also authored two other children's picture books, The Elephant in the Sukkah and The Upside Down Boy and the Israeli Prime Minister. She is the co-founder of the Koby Mandell Foundation. She lives in Israel. Tamara Anegon illustrated Look Out, Leonard!, Miriam and the Sasquatch, and other books for children. She lives in Madrid.
""In the afterword to The Best Treasure, Sherri Mandel quotes an old Jewish proverb: “Who finds a faithful friend finds a treasure.” Her picture book illustrates this saying by way of a simple, touching message and delicate, colorful art. Gavi, a kangaroo with a capacious pouch, and Mo, a hippopotamus, are good friends who are searching for treasure. Their problem is that they do not agree on the meaning of the word treasure, and, as another old proverb teaches us, one person’s treasure is another person’s trash. Gavi sees value in the many bright, shiny objects that they discover along the way; Mo thinks these objects are nothing but junk. But after an adventurous afternoon of hunting for treasure, they agree on one very important thing: that the best and most valuable treasure of all is deep and abiding friendship. This warm, comforting story reminds readers about the joys of true friendship. There is much to appreciate about each other, even when we have different outlooks and opinions."" —Jewish Book Council ""Two good friends, a hippo named Mo and a kangaroo named Gavi, decide to spend the morning looking for treasure together. But they can’t agree about what a real treasure is. Gavi collects whatever looks shiny or colorful or fun to him while Mo doesn’t agree on the value of these ordinary items and sees them only as junk. They continue to explore the neighborhood together and eventually conclude that each friend is the other’s treasure and being together is the most fun of all! The colorful and amusing illustrations portray a warm friendship and expressive characters. The simple words and short sentences make the story perfect for young children and beginning readers. While there is nothing overtly Jewish, it is a story about valuing friends and our time with them. Sherri Mandell is an Israeli-American author, mother, and activist who won the National Jewish Book Award in 2004 for her spiritual memoir The Blessing of a Broken Heart about the tragic kidnapping and murder of her son, Koby. She created the Koby Mandell Foundation in 2002 which provides healing programs for families directly affected by terror in Israel. Her sensitivity and curiosity along with her love of animals and children are evident in this fun search for treasure."" —Association of Jewish Libraries