The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Passover on Everest by Rachelle Burk, illustrated by Craig Orback Intergalactic Afikoman, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Jeff Gottesfeld   Buy at Bookshop.org This nonfiction picture book introduces us to Nikki Bart, a young Jewish climber. Together with her mother, she scaled mountains of all sizes, beginning with Masada in Israel when Nikki was just a girl. When Nikki moved into teen-hood, she and her mother set an ambitious goal: to climb the highest mountains on each continent, beginning with their native Australia. They carried out this plan, from Denali to Kilimanjaro. The only one remaining was Everest.  Nikki and her family were also Jews who observed Passover, with a beloved seder where Nikki would share her adventures with those in attendance. It turned out that Nikki and her mother's trip to Mount Everest would coincide with Passover. They formed a relationship with their Buddhist sherpa, who was intrigued by the holiday. To their shock, the sherpas arrange...

Next Year in the White House: Barack Obama's First Presidential Seder by Richard Michelson, illustrated by E.B. Lewis Crown Books for Young Readers in partnership with PJ Library, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Belinda Brock   Buy at Bookshop.org   Next Year in the White House starts off by telling the reader that while Christmas and Easter had long been observed at the White House, 2009 marked the first time that Passover was celebrated. This book recounts the interesting, true story of how that came to be. The first scene opens with Malia, Sasha, and their dog Bo in the formal dining room as the staff prepares a traditional Passover dinner. The table is set beautifully with a Seder plate at the center. At this point, we reach the title page. Aha! So this is where the real story starts. Flashback to a year earlier when three young staffers—Eric, Arun, and Herbie—were on the presidential campaign trail with then-Senator Barack Obama. They believe deeply in their candi...