Review: Waiting for Lumpy
Waiting for Lumpy
by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Teresa Ramos
Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House Publishers), 2024
Category: Picture Books
Reviewer: Jacqueline Jules
Buy at Bookshop.org
Waiting for Lumpy begins in winter when Ella’s parents announce that a new baby is coming. As the current baby of the family, Ella isn’t sure she likes this news. Her older brother, Robby, on the other hand, is happy to suggest names for the new baby such as Frogella or Horseradish after his favorite Passover food. In summer, when Mommy’s figure becomes round, Ella says they should name the baby, Lumpy. She also complains that there is not room anymore for her to sit on her mother’s lap. Finally, it is Rosh Hashanah and the family welcomes their long awaited new addition. They choose both an English name and a Hebrew name to announce at a naming ceremony held in the synagogue on Shabbat.
Waiting for Lumpy begins in winter when Ella’s parents announce that a new baby is coming. As the current baby of the family, Ella isn’t sure she likes this news. Her older brother, Robby, on the other hand, is happy to suggest names for the new baby such as Frogella or Horseradish after his favorite Passover food. In summer, when Mommy’s figure becomes round, Ella says they should name the baby, Lumpy. She also complains that there is not room anymore for her to sit on her mother’s lap. Finally, it is Rosh Hashanah and the family welcomes their long awaited new addition. They choose both an English name and a Hebrew name to announce at a naming ceremony held in the synagogue on Shabbat.
This delightful early reader in seven short chapters goes through not only the seasons of the year but the emotions of a second child slowly accepting that she won’t be the baby of the family anymore. The illustrations are cute and colorful with charming facial expressions.
Jewish tradition is naturally woven throughout this sweet story. Dad says the baby won’t be born until Rosh Hashanah, marking the due date with a Jewish holiday rather than simply a season. At the Seder, Uncle Eli asks a fifth question: have you chosen a name for the new baby? The naming ceremony in the synagogue includes the priestly blessing. Waiting for Lumpy is a fine contender for the Sydney Taylor Book Award, especially since there are so few early readers available in Jewish children’s literature.
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Jacqueline Jules is the author of fifty books for young readers including The Porridge-Pot Goblin, The Hardest Word, Picnic at Camp Shalom, Drop by Drop: A Story of Rabbi Akiva, Light the Menorah: A Hanukkah Handbook, and Never Say a Mean Word Again. Her middle grade verse novel, My Name is Hamburger, is a PJ Our Way selection. And her picture book, Moses and the Runaway Lamb, was a Junior Library Guild selection. She lives on Long Island and enjoys talking long walks along the water. Visit her online www.jacquelinejules.com.
Jewish tradition is naturally woven throughout this sweet story. Dad says the baby won’t be born until Rosh Hashanah, marking the due date with a Jewish holiday rather than simply a season. At the Seder, Uncle Eli asks a fifth question: have you chosen a name for the new baby? The naming ceremony in the synagogue includes the priestly blessing. Waiting for Lumpy is a fine contender for the Sydney Taylor Book Award, especially since there are so few early readers available in Jewish children’s literature.
Are you interested in reviewing books for The Sydney Taylor Shmooze? Click here!
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