The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Shabbos Guess Who? A Lift-the-Flap Book by Ariella Stern, illustrated by Patti Argoff Hachai Publishing, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili   Buy from Hachai Shabbos Guess Who? is the latest installment in Hachai Publishing's lift-the flap series. Through twelve rhyming riddles, the story centers around a presumably Ashkenazi Orthodox family, beginning with preparations before the onset of Shabbat, including cleaning the house and getting dressed up. It then proceeds throughout Friday night and Saturday, ending with a melaveh malkah after Havdalah at the conclusion of Shabbat. Where there are two pronunciations for a given answer, both are included, i.e. zmiros / zmirot, seudas(t) shlishis(t). The detailed cartoon illustrations are bright and colorful in keeping with the lively and joyous atmosphere of the book. Even though this is a book geared towards the youngest of readers, it contains an impressive amount of information. Little hands wil

Sukkos Guess Who? by Ariella Stern, illustrated by Patti Argoff Hachai Publishing, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Judith S. Greenblatt Buy at Hachai.com Sukkos Guess Who? is a rhyming story that poses questions, with answers hidden under flaps. The rhymes are short, generally in language that is well within the comprehension of the picture book crowd. Children will enjoy the game of being asked a question, and finding the answer under the flap. The holiday is thoroughly explored, including aspects that are less familiar to many, such as Chol HaMoed (the intermediate days of the week-long holiday), and Simchas(t) beis(t) HaSho'eiva, the modern celebration commemorating an ancient ritual at the Temple in Jerusalem. Descriptions of such activities are difficult to find in children's books, so are a welcome addition here. Hebrew and Yiddish terms are included in the text, and will be familiar to the target audience of Orthodox readers. Most terms are translated on the pa