An utterly gorgeous book, full of inspiration and imagination - of all that brings people together. 

Prof. Nurit Govrin, 26.7.15

A book for all age groups, marvelous, magical, exciting and inspiring. The illustrations are dizzyingly beautiful. Pure pleasure.

Author Yochi Brandes, 14.8.15

A beautiful book. I was enthralled, and I read it with excitement and admiration. Perfection of both content and form, complete utilization of the beauty and wisdom of a literary work. A book extremely rich in the content that it conveys, and so heart-warming in the feelings that it arouses. Absolute beauty.    

Author Dorit Orgad, 31.7.15

A wonderful author. In her writing, a refined charm mixed with great love is always prevalent, captivating the heart of the reader. How lovely, how highly recommendable. Run out and buy it.

Author Adiva Geffen, 23.7.15

This book gives us an opportunity to undergo a spellbinding experience combining reality and imagination, prose and poetry, words and sights, text and music, old and new, Israeli and universal, all at one and the same time. All of these things form a rare profundity that enables any child (or adult) to find themselves in the book … The book gives an experience of alchemy: Discovering the combination between the forces that shape internal and external reality, and it voices the song of the individual and the song of the many in a remarkable musical harmony. An enriching, moving book, one with remarkable qualities.  

Dr. Edna Katzenelson, clinical psychologist, 15.8.15

The Girl in the Gong will take the reader on an engrossing and exhausting journey through the halls of imagination and emotion … A wealth of turnabouts and suspenseful moments, up to the surprising ending … An enchanting and unique legend … With a craftsperson’s hand, Semel leads the reader to the understanding that happiness is the art of the possible and that part of the beauty of life entails pain, blemish, and imperfection. The characters that she constructs captivate with their weakness and their strength, and they will teach the readers a lesson about the capacity of all of us to rediscover our place and our voice after a crisis, if only we gather our strength to change reality as we see it and to be the heroes of our own lives.    

Mor Dvorkin-Fogelman, Achbar Ha'Ir, 21.7.15

A brief recommendation: A beautiful book for kids, and not only for kids … The lovely illustrations are truly breathtaking … An optimistic fable that won’t do us adults any harm either.

Tsippy Gon-Gross, IDF Radio, 7.8.15

The author always finds the way to different places, to other worlds, to touch the readers’ hearts and to arouse insights beyond place and time.

Author Ofra Gelbart-Avni, 22.7.15

A book that I admire greatly. Replete with uniqueness. Beautiful illustrations. Encourages children to read it.

Shmuel Shay, Kol Israel, 13.8.15

An enchanting book with illustrations that make the heart tremble.

Yehiam Padan, Bestbooks.co.il, 1.11.15

A moving book, poetic and delicate, that links legend with reality… I very much enjoyed reading it very. Although it’s meant for kids, their parents will also enjoy it.

Iaffa Gavish, Saloona, 11.8.15

A lovely book.

Rivka Michaeli, Radio 103.FM, 24.7.15

A charming book.

Liat Regev, Kol Israel, 17.7.15

A wise book … Nava Semel touches upon material that is not simple and the outcome is good, but complicated… In fairytales, everything may work out, but the sad Israeli child in the story learns new things and moves on. 

Sivan Rahav-Meir, IDF Radio, 13.8.15