Take out your time telescope, wipe the dust and cobwebs from its lens, tilt it upwards, and find a twinkling speck of light. Now look behind it … way back, to the days of sand and stars.

Here are the Midrash stories of famous women whose names you may know, but whose daily lives and human thoughts have been ignored for far too long. From Eve to Emzera, from Sarah to Rebecca, they are presented here with humor and affection as they face a new and changing world where miracles and customs shape their destiny.

Midrash tales are what-if stories built around the grains of information the Bible offers, and author Marlee Pinsker excels as she imbues these legendary women with warmth and spirit.

A wonderful gift book for anyone, but especially meaningful for Bat Mitzvahs and Confirmations, In the Days of Sand and Stars is an impressive, straightforward collection, sparse and clear in

its telling.

Quebec artist, François Thisdale has produced a marvelous collection of images with his “time telescope” and digital expertise. Through his talents we see all of these very human women in moments of reflection, tenderness, ingenuity, and wonder.