The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Esther Didn't Dream of Being Queen  by Allison Ofanansky, illustrated by Valentina Belloni Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Ruth Horowitz Buy at Bookshop.org Allison Ofanansky gives the familiar story of Esther a not-a-fairy-tale twist. Narrated by Esther, it begins with “Once upon a time,” and goes on to frame the story in the context of Cinderella. Like Cinderella, Esther is an orphan who becomes a queen. But there the similarities end. Esther is happy to live quietly with her cousin Mordecai, gardening and giggling with her friends. She disapproves of the king’s “rowdy parties,” and when word goes out that all pretty young women are to report to the palace for a beauty contest, Esther tries to avoid the order. The king, she states, is not her idea of “prince charming.” When she is eventually forced to appear at the palace, she follows Mordecai’s warning not to reveal her background, but notes that it feels “strange” to hide wh

  A Sweet Meeting on Mimouna Night is a story of friendship between Jewish and Muslim characters, so I thought it would be interesting to draw your attention to this review written from a Muslim point of view. It's by Sadaf Siddique at Lantern Reads, a website that focuses on South Asian and Muslim children's literature. Sadaf and I have worked together several times: first I interviewed her on The Book of Life podcast ; then we co-wrote an article for The Horn Book ; more recently we presented a workshop together for EMIERT on fighting antisemitism and Islamophobia through children's literature. To hear her perspective on A Sweet Meeting on Mimouna Night , please READ HER REVIEW HERE . -- Heidi Rabinowitz, co-admin, Sydney Taylor Shmooze

A Sweet Meeting on Mimouna Night by Allison Ofanansky, illustrated by Rotem Teplow Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Sandy Wasserman Buy at Bookshop.org A lovely historical fiction picture book about a lesser known and more recent tradition to the cycle of Jewish holidays- mimouna, following the end of the Passover holiday, often celebrated in North African Jewish communities, particularly in Morocco. We meet Miriam and Jasmine, a Jewish girl and a Muslim girl and their relationship, though tentative at first, is quickly warm and friendly as they get to know each other, and as they bond over the necessary flour for making moufletas for mimouna. Even after Miriam and her family make aliyah, she thinks back to her Muslim friend back in Morocco. The illustrations are entrancing- both the scenes in Morocco and then in Jerusalem seem like familiar photos. The recipe for moufletas at the end is an usual addition to the typical Passover picture book. This is a Passover book with a twist! This