The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

The Desert Unicorn by Bonnie Grubman and Kerry Olitzky, illustrated by Amberin Huq Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rebecca Klempner Buy at Bookshop.org Two siblings, Abigail and Zachary, are "every kid" characters who are part of the Exodus of the Jewish people out of Egypt. Sure there's manna to eat and miraculous springs to drink from--even their clothing doesn't wear out. But when will they finally reach Israel? Eventually, a mysterious tachash–a legendary creature here depicted as a unicorn–shows up to entertain the children during their journey and to bring them comfort and hope.    The illustrations are cheerful and vibrant, and I liked that the Jews are shown in warm hues -- these are clearly MENA (Middle East and North African) people who have spent a lot of time in the sun. I appreciated the details about leaving Egypt, the mention of Moses and Miriam's role as the Jewish people's leaders a...

Night Lights: A Sukkot Story by Barbara Diamond Goldin, illustrated by Amberin Huq Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz Buy at Bookshop.org Night Lights was originally published in 1995 by Harcourt Brace with illustrations by Louise August. This new edition, published by Apples & Honey Press, has been heavily edited, and has been reillustrated by Amberin Huq. The basic storyline remains the same: Daniel is nervous about spending a night in the dark in the family sukkah, even with big sister Naomi for company. After being spooked by noises and shadows, he almost heads inside, but Naomi points out the "night lights" in the sky, the same stars and moon that were seen by their ancestors when they slept in similar huts. The revised text is much tighter than the original. It's been slightly simplified and streamlined in a way that will make it more accessible to young readers. It's also been made more egalitarian: mom helps build the sukkah and dad helps p...