The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Hidden Hope: How A Toy and a Hero Saved Lives During the Holocaust by Elisa Boxer, illustrated by Amy June Bates Harry N. Abrams (imprint of Abrams Books), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rachel Simon   Buy at Bookshop.org   Hidden Hope: How A Toy and a Hero Saved Lives During the Holocaust tells the story of the brave Jewish teenager, Judith Geller, who posed as a Christian social worker in France. Using false papers as “Jacqueline Guither”, she was able to save many people by giving them forged papers made in secret workshops. One of the ways was through a simple toy: a wooden duck. When stopped by the Nazis, who would suspect a social worker visiting her “assigned” families with a toy? As part of the French Resistance, Jacqueline and others were able to save thousands of those in need of escape from the horrors going on, many of whom were in hiding. Though the book covers a difficult topic, it never becomes too dark for young readers. Elissa Boxer’s text is simple b...

Hank on First! How Hank Greenberg Became a Star On and Off the Field by Stephen Krensky, illustrated by Alette Straathof Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Belinda Brock Buy at Bookshop.org Hank on First! introduces us to Hank Greenberg, Hall-of-Famer, MVP, and the first Jewish sports superstar. Hank felt that "he had the best job ever—playing first base for the Detroit Tigers." But then the reader learns about the struggles Hank encountered along the way: his Romanian-born parents' initial opposition, the conditions in the minor leagues, and most notably, antisemitism, which he had to deal with throughout his baseball career. He was often subjected to boos and taunts from spectators and even from players on opposing teams. Hank maintained his dignity and used his frustration to fuel his achievements on the field. In 1934, the Tigers were in a tight race to clinch the pennant, but the High Holidays conflicted with ...

The Rabbi and His Donkey by Susan Tarcov, illustrated by Diana Renjina Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Dena Bach Buy at Bookshop.org The Sultan’s personal doctor, Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, rides from his town early every morning to visit the Sultan in his palace in Cairo. The Rabbi has an exhausting, busy day of seeing many patients — from the Sultan to those who were waiting for him at his home even as he is dismounting from the animal who brought from the palace. As writer Susan Tarcov explains in the endnotes, The Rabbi and His Donkey is based on letters written by Rabbi ben Maimon, also known as Rambam or Maimonides, the renowned 12th century rabbi, physician, and philosopher. In this fictional narrative, Maimonides’ hectic life is seen through the eyes of a donkey named Hamor. Every day, Hamor bring the Rabbi to and from the palace, listening to Maimonides talk through his wise ideas. As he listens, the donkey becomes ...

Challah Day! by Charlotte Offsay, illustrated by Jason Kirschner Holiday House, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Linda Marshall   Buy at Bookshop.org In this warm, rollicky kitchen adventure, a family (including the dog and rambunctious baby) prepares to welcome Shabbat by making home-made challah for Friday night dinner. In bouncing, rhyming language that begs to be read aloud again and again and again, the steps of challah-making are described. Hilarious illustrations by Jason Kirschner depict the joy of family baking and add to the humor. The rhymes bounce, the story is told, the table is spread. The reader is in for a treat. Challah Day is a warm, humorous, and accurate representation of an Ashkenazic Jewish family as they make the traditional challah bread in preparation for Shabbat. The story's emphasis on creating a Jewish home shines at the end of the story when older guests (presumably grandparents) arrive to join in welcoming Shabbat. Back matter includes an eas...

The Gray by Chris Baron Feiwel & Friends, 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Jacqueline Jules Buy at Bookshop.org Sasha’s summer plans are abruptly changed when his doctor suggests a break from technology. Instead of playing marathon games of Earthforge with his friend Daniel, Sasha is headed to a rural town in upstate New York to stay with his Aunt Ruthie. Cell service is so spotty there, Sasha can’t even use his phone on a reliable basis. He is wary of a device-free summer. How can being away from everything he enjoys help him manage his anxiety? Aunt Ruthie is a supportive ally, sharing the story of Rabbi Akiva who learned that “change happens little by little” after examining the power of water to slowly erode stone. Sasha employs a grounding technique to help him handle what he calls the “Gray,” those times when he feels so overwhelmed, “it feels like I go to a different place.” And Aunt Ruthie wisely advises, “When things feel big, take them just one step at a time.”  ...

I Am Not Afraid: Psalm 23 for Bedtime by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, illustrated by Marta Dorado Beaming Books, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Jeff Gottesfeld Buy at Bookshop.org I first encountered Psalm 23 as a boy, reading a paperback World War II memoir I am sure was called "10,000 to 1," about an American B-17 navigator who was shot down and found himself wounded and alone on a Japanese-controlled island. The psalm gave him solace. In I Am Not Afraid , veteran author Sasso uses that famed, powerful, and comforting psalm for a short and simple text that is a variation on its timeless themes. She centers a young girl (Dorado's captivating art has her old enough to be in a regular bed and grown enough to have her toes touch the floor when she sits on the bed, old enough not to cry out instinctually to the mother we see at the book's outset, but young enough to sleep with a stuffed lamb, so...maybe age 10? 11?) who goes to bed, counts sheep, and then is beset by i...

Nothing Could Stop Her: The Courageous Life of Ruth Gruber by Rona Arato, illustrated by Isabel Muñoz Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Jeanette Brod Buy at Bookshop.org After reading Nothing Could Stop Her: The Courageous Life of Ruth Gruber , I wish I had known the subject of this middle grade biography. Ruth Gruber was born in Brooklyn in 1911 to Jewish Russian immigrant parents. She lived a life that made her parents both fearful and proud. "Courageous" is the right word to describe a woman whose life included adventures as a journalist and activist. She lived to be 105. The biography focuses on Ruth’s early life. It presents a portrait of a curious, smart and fearless young woman who seized opportunity whenever and wherever it presented itself. She graduated high school at fifteen, earned a master’s degree in German at eighteen and completed a doctorate in Germany on Virginia Woolf in an unprecedented one year....

The Blue Glass Heart by Yona Zeldis McDonough, illustrated by Chiara Fedele Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Elizabeth Suneby Buy at Bookshop.org The Blue Glass Heart is a quintessential circular journey picture book. It recounts the travels of a heart-shaped shard of blue glass across oceans—from New York to Florida to Venezuela to Tel Aviv and back to New York once again—and across generations, from Sarah who mistakenly broke her grandmother’s vase to her great granddaughter Ruth who receives the shard as a token of friendship and says to her mother, “Maybe this is a piece of Great-Grandma Sarah’s bowl.” The story and illustrations are sweet and simple, likely to appeal to a young child who will enjoy hearing about the unlikely spots in which the shard appears in between its time in the sea—atop a sandcastle, hiding in a basket of clams, in fish stew, a pocket, and a lobster’s claw—and tickled that the blue glass makes i...

Debbie's Song: The Debbie Friedman Story by Ellen Leventhal, illustrated by Natalia Grebtsova Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Belinda Brock Buy at Bookshop.org When the readers are introduced to little Debbie Friedman, we learn that she always had music inside of her—in fact, it was her superpower. We follow along on her sometimes challenging journey as she expresses that superpower with her family, at Jewish summer camps, on a kibbutz in Israel, in synagogues, Carnegie Hall, and ultimately, the world at large. Debbie accomplished what she set out to do: create community while writing "Jewish music that would welcome, include, and honor the voices of everyone." The author and illustrator have accomplished their goal of creating a book that celebrates Debbie Friedman and honors her legacy. Their passion for their subject shines through and makes this book sing. The lovely lyrical text, the pacing, the flow, th...

Planning Perfect by Haley Neil Bloomsbury YA (imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing), 2023 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Kathryn Hall Buy at Bookshop.org Felicia is a sixteen year old biromantic ace spectrum Jewish girl from Boston with anxiety and perfectionist tendencies. She wants things to be by the book and believes that she is the responsible adult of her family. She thinks that her free-spirited nontraditional mother is irresponsible. Felicia takes control of planning her mother's (first) wedding at a Vermont apple orchard. What could go wrong? Mother/daughter drama. Grandmother/mother drama. Drama with her gay Pakistani best friend, and with her Korean-American friend (potential girlfriend?) in Vermont. Could Felicia be overthinking, over-planning, controlling and steamrolling? Will there be a happy ending? Of course! Like Jane Austen's Emma Woodhouse, Felicia is "faultless in spite of all her faults" and her personal growth makes her much more likeable. . The gr...

Oh, How I Wish by Sara Blau, illustrated by Yehudit Binder Hachai, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rinat Hadad Siegel Many children can’t wait to do what they are passionate about. For some, it could be singing, others drawing, and a few are passionate about baking. In this lovely and easy-to-follow picture book, children find ways to elevate their everyday actions and hobbies into Mitzvot (good deeds).    This idea is a well-known Jewish concept that goes hand in hand with Tikkun Olam.This concept is layered on every page of this book. How can a child as an individual make a difference in this world and still be true to their passion? A child can draw for their own will and entertainment but when they draw to make a get-well card for someone who is sick, their action of drawing and what they create takes on a spiritual layer. The language is lyrical and clear, intended for a very young audience. There is a simple repetition as the reader is introduced to different exam...

Moses and the Runaway Lamb by Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Eleanor Rees Howell Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Suzanne Grossman Buy at Bookshop.org In this version of the midrashic tale found in Shemot Rabbah 2:2, Moses is developing the characteristics that lead G-d to select him to later lead the Israelites' Exodus from Egypt. Refreshingly represented as a dark-skinned young man, Moses goes in search of one little lamb that has wandered off. Not giving up until he has reunited the lamb with its mother, Moses realizes that even though he has many other lambs, each one is valuable. Observing this event, G-d chooses Moses to later lead His people because of his compassion and commitment to every living creature. Flowing artwork with a light palette brings the reader into the desert atmosphere of wide open spaces and wilderness, adding to the appeal of the story.  The Jewish content is prevalent throughout with the f...