The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

"My First Tanakh Stories" Avraham Teaches Others | Miriam Finds Her Voice | Eliyahu Finds Hashem | Ruth Makes a Promise by Shira Greenspan, illustrated by Rinat Gilboa Koren Publishers, 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Ronda Einbinder Buy at Bookshop: Avraham | Miriam | Eliyahu | Ruth | whole set In this series of rhyming board books, children are introduced to the Hebrew bible with four stories that bring characters from the Torah to life. The first book, Avraham Teaches Others , is written in rhyme and illustrated with green, yellow, orange, and blue pastels, telling the story of Avraham who helps three men who need food and rest. The three men bless him and Sara with a son.  The second book, Miriam Finds Her Voice , tells the story of Miriam who hides her brother in a basket, sending him down the river for safety. Pharaoh’s daughter finds the basket and raises the baby as her own. Eighty years pass and the slaves are set free. Miriam uses her voice to lead her pe...

All Aboard for Noah's Ark by Elana Azose, illustrated by Monica Garofalo Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rachel J. Fremmer Buy at Bookshop.org All Aboard for Noah’s Ark takes the traditional Bible story and shifts the focus to how every creature, even the smallest, prickliest one, has a role to play and shouldn’t be underestimated. Noah dismisses the hedgehogs Lionel and Dolores’s offers to help. Instead, he asks the more stereotypically large, strong, and wise animals, but, we are told, each of them in turn, “didn’t know how to help” or was otherwise occupied. Rather than be discouraged, Lionel and Dolores take the initiative, sending out invitations to animals from around the globe and preparing meals to feed everyone on board. With a cheerful colorful palette, adorable, not-always-realistically-colored animals, and an aging Noah with white hair and purple robes, this trip on the ark feels a bit like a cruise, with ...

A Beautiful World by Yael Gover, illustrated by Paul Kor, translated by Gilah Kahn-Hoffman Green Bean Books (first published in Israel in 2003 by Kinneret, Zmora-Bitan), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rachel J. Fremmer Buy at Bookshop.org With upbeat text perfectly complemented by a cheerful palette and childlike illustrations, A Beautiful World takes us through the creation story. A nameless narrator - apparently Hashem - begins with a black page and adds light and color, water and land, plants and animals, and so on, until the world is almost complete. What is missing? Why, you, the reader! Just as Hashem invites us to be partners in creation, the narrator invites the reader to be a partner in enjoying the world - and reading this book! The final page has a mirror on it so the child reader can see herself. Young children love seeing themselves in the mirror, so that would certainly add to the fun! I had to read A Beautiful World more than once to realize that it does not co...

Counting on Naamah: A Mathematical Tale on Noah's Ark by Erica Lyons, illustrated by Mary Reaves Uhles Intergalactic Afikomen, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Dena Bach Buy at Bookshop.org In Counting on Naamah , Erica Lyons creates a playful modern midrash, (defined in the back matter as “a tale that begins with a story from the Torah”) answering some of the questions Lyons has about life on Noah’s ark. By centering the story on a very contemporary depiction of Noah’s wife, Lyons also adds a note of female empowerment. Noah’s wife is barely mentioned in the Torah, but the back matter also notes that according to rabbinic midrashim her name was Naamah, meaning pleasant. In their midrash, Lyons and illustrator Mary Reaves Uhles make Naamah more than just pleasant. She is a STEM genius, able to facilitate Noah’s implementation of G-d’s plan through her math and science knowledge. The author imagines the building of the ark and the activities that the pair come up with to keep ...

The Giant, The Slingshot, and the Future King by Tammar Stein, illustrated by Dodo Maeder Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House Publishers), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Suzanne Grossman Buy at Bookshop.org The impact of the early life of King David on his later kingship is told in this easy reader chapter book. We join him as a young shepherd with “a lot of time on his hands,” time he uses well to make up songs to G-d and to learn to use a slingshot, acquiring patience and persistence along the way. When a lion threatens the flock, David is able to use his slingshot skills to scare him off. Later, with this skill and confidence, he famously defeats the enemy giant, Goliath. His friendship with King Saul’s son Jonathan is humorously shared, and his accomplishments as king are broadly covered.    The cheery cartoon style art and lively text add to the appeal of this book. There is additional information at the back about the archeological evidence of King...

Eve and Adam and Their Very First Day by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Irina Augustinovich Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Linda Elovitz Marshall Buy at Bookshop.org On her very first day in the Garden of Eden, Eve (who is strong and inquisitive and not afraid of anything), meets Adam, who was made first and has a beautiful smile. Together, they wander the Garden giving names to things. Adam gives simple names. Eve prefers more imaginative ones. However, Day doesn’t last forever. The sun goes down. Night comes. Eve and Adam are nervous. It’s dark. They are new and have never seen night before. But they have faith and, together, they make it through. Kimmelman’s beautiful, lyrical language combines with Irina Augustinovich’s spectacularly sensitive illustrations to give readers a creative telling of Eve and Adam’s first day. The two have golden skin and wavy black hair, which can be interpreted as white, Asian, or Latinx. Ev...

I Am Not Afraid: Psalm 23 for Bedtime by Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, illustrated by Marta Dorado Beaming Books, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Jeff Gottesfeld Buy at Bookshop.org I first encountered Psalm 23 as a boy, reading a paperback World War II memoir I am sure was called "10,000 to 1," about an American B-17 navigator who was shot down and found himself wounded and alone on a Japanese-controlled island. The psalm gave him solace. In I Am Not Afraid , veteran author Sasso uses that famed, powerful, and comforting psalm for a short and simple text that is a variation on its timeless themes. She centers a young girl (Dorado's captivating art has her old enough to be in a regular bed and grown enough to have her toes touch the floor when she sits on the bed, old enough not to cry out instinctually to the mother we see at the book's outset, but young enough to sleep with a stuffed lamb, so...maybe age 10? 11?) who goes to bed, counts sheep, and then is beset by i...

Moses and the Runaway Lamb by Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Eleanor Rees Howell Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Suzanne Grossman Buy at Bookshop.org In this version of the midrashic tale found in Shemot Rabbah 2:2, Moses is developing the characteristics that lead G-d to select him to later lead the Israelites' Exodus from Egypt. Refreshingly represented as a dark-skinned young man, Moses goes in search of one little lamb that has wandered off. Not giving up until he has reunited the lamb with its mother, Moses realizes that even though he has many other lambs, each one is valuable. Observing this event, G-d chooses Moses to later lead His people because of his compassion and commitment to every living creature. Flowing artwork with a light palette brings the reader into the desert atmosphere of wide open spaces and wilderness, adding to the appeal of the story.  The Jewish content is prevalent throughout with the f...

There's a Goblin on the Ark! by Susan Tarcov, illustrated by Mackinzie Rekers Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Shanna Silva   Buy at Bookshop.org There’s A Goblin on the Ark! is a new picture book twist on the Noah’s Ark biblical story. Told from the animals’ point of view, it’s the first night on the ark and the animals are settling in. Strange noises keep them awake. As they try to identify the source through a pleasing rhyming of animal sounds, it becomes clear that the sound is coming from a lone goblin. Although initially afraid, the animals realize the goblin is just another passenger looking for its mate. A search ensues to help the goblin. By the end, everyone is comfortable on the ark as the rain pelts outside. An author’s note explains that a traditional interpretation of the text surmises that goblins were indeed on the ark. Tarcov has fun exploring this story’s possibilities.   The art by Rekers features ...

Dream Big, Laugh Often, and More Great Advice from the Bible by Hanoch Piven and Shira Hecht-Koller, illustrated by Hanoch Piven Farrar Straus and Giroux, 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Ann Koffsky Buy at Bookshop.org Dream Big, Laugh Often explains its mission on its first page, saying that, “even though the stories of the Bible are very old, there is still a lot that we can learn from each of these characters." With that premise set up, the book describes fourteen biblical characters. Each one has an illustration and a brief text. The headers include the character’s name, followed by the lesson to be learned. (For example: Noah: Be Good. Abraham: Trust the Journey.) The text references the traditional bible stories, but does not retell them. Instead, it uses them as jumping off points, highlighting the “advice’. So for example, In the profile of Jonah there is no mention of Nineveh. It instead focuses on Jonah needing a time out (inside the fish!). Most times, this appro...

Deborah's Tree by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Cosei Kawa Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rachel J. Fremmer Buy at Bookshop.org This poetic recounting of the story of the Biblical Deborah’s life is stunningly beautiful, in both text and illustrations. The dreamy, lush illustrations by Cosei Kawa have a “Chagall in the Middle East” feel to them, with their motifs of pomegranate, figs, the scales of justice, circles, and spirals, and, of course, trees and leaves, among others, along with a touch of surrealism. As Deborah grows into womanhood and becomes a judge and then a general, she learns why she has been blessed with the gift of foresight and what her purpose is. Because of the poetic nature of the language, this book may be best suited to readers who are familiar with the story of Deborah. It would be perfect for teachers to use with middle-grade or even middle school students in Jewish day schools or Hebrew schools t...

Jonah by Tammar Stein, illustrated by Sabina Hahn PJ Publishing, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Dena Bach Buy at Amazon.com In time for Yom Kippur and its focus on atonement, PJLibrary presents this early chapter book about responsibilities, repentance, and second chances. Based on the Bibical Book of Jonah, read in the synagogue on Yom Kippur afternoon, the narrative tackles the tough subject of the consequences of our actions and our obligations to make the world a better place. Author Tammar Stein begins Jonah’s story in his “classroom” under a tree, grounding the narrative in the child’s world. There Jonah teaches his students about making good choices in their treatment of others. Because of these teachings, God picks Jonah as the best messenger to convince the people of the city of Nineveh to repent their wicked actions. The narrative shows that even a great teacher like Jonah can make wrong choices. When Jonah runs away from his task and is swallowed by the whale, and la...

Maybe It Happened This Way: Bible Stories Reimagined by Rabbi Leah Rachel Berkowitz and Erica Wovsaniker, illustrated by Katherine Messenger  Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Jacqueline Jules   Buy at Bookshop.org Did Noah procrastinate when building the ark, hoping that the people would change their ways and there would be no need for a flood? Did Abram and Sarai break idols together? Was Moses ultimately relieved to hand over his leadership duties to Joshua? In Maybe It Happened This Way , authors Rabbi Leah Rachel Berkowitz and Erica Wovsaniker offer readers an opportunity to imagine themselves inside Biblical stories, experiencing the events. The text is poetic. When Eve bites into the forbidden apple, “the taste burst onto her tongue.” Many stories are told in first person, respecting a middle school reader’s ability to understand events through the eyes of an adult. Shifra, one of the midwives who risked her life...

If I Swam With Jonah by Pamela Moritz, illustrated by MacKenzie Haley Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House Publishing), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Jeff Gottesfeld Buy at Bookshop.org The story of the minor prophet Jonah, as contained in the biblical Book of Jonah, is in many ways a troubling tale with an ambiguous ending which finds Jonah having learned only modestly from his experience. It's read in synagogues often on Yom Kippur. In IF I SWAM WITH JONAH, author Moritz and illustrator Haley find a nifty way to bring the Jonah story to young children, in a rhyming text that creates a midrash. Moritz's cleverness is to impart the tale in the first person voice of a boy who talks to his beloved pet about a fish way bigger than the goldfish, the one that swallows Jonah when he did not want to assist the people of Nineveh as God commanded. Wisely omitted is the textual reason for Jonah's reluctance -- that Nineveh was just about the most wicked place o...

Mrs. Noah's Doves by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Alida Massari Kar-Ben Publishing, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Linda Elovitz Marshall Buy at Bookshop.org In harmonious, poetic language, author Jane Yolen engages readers with kindly Mrs. Noah who cares for injured birds – “ravens and robins, eagles and eiders, cockatoos and crows” and her favorite, the doves – in much the same way a loving grandmother might care for her grandchildren. And when, as we knew would happen, the rains come, Mrs. Noah moves the bird cages higher and higher, caring for the birds, keeping them dry. Still, the waters rise. Mrs. Noah asks Mr. Noah for help. With assurances from Mr. Noah that God has told him what to do, Noah’s family builds a boat – “a floating zoo” – to keep themselves, the birds, and the animals (which arrive two-by-two) safe from flooding waters. At last, the rains cease. Mrs. Noah releases her birds to search for dry land. But, the ravens do...

Snail's Ark by Irene Latham, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini G.P. Putnam's Sons (imprint of Penguin Random House), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker Buy at Bookshop.org A beautifully lyrical take on Noah’s ark, though Noah is not heard from at all and the ark is only a minor player. Little snail Esther knows that a big storm—the biggest in the history of the world--is coming. She trails off with all the other creatures towards the water, praying and persevering through her fear. But when she remembers her snail friend, Solomon, she retraces her steps to warn him of the impending danger and usher him along. Esther’s loyalty and bravery, along with a miraculous gust of wind at the right moment, land them on the “giant something” that is the ark. The illustrations of the animals, who take center stage, are stunning with intensely saturated colors. The book has definite literary merit, and children and adults will want to return to this book again and again, bo...

Max and Emma Cross the Red Sea (Torah Time Travel #2)  by Carl Harris Shuman, illustrated by C.B. Decker Apples & Honey (imprint of Behrman House), 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Sandy Wasserman Buy at Bookshop.org A masterpiece! In just seven perfect short chapters we suspend disbelief and join Max and his reprogrammed old smartphone, enter Max's cardboard time machine, and head back in time. We meet Moses, Nachshon and a few more of the cast of characters in the desert as the Israelites escape Pharoah's advancing army. Max doesn't take this trip alone though; his new friend Emma joins him and builds his confidence so that he can recite the four questions without too much palm-sweating or stage fright. Emma's been looking for a seder for her family to attend anyway, so that invitation comes around perfectly. And this early chapter book, with its delightful illustrations, does not lack for humor: laugh out loud humor, that will not be above the reader's h...

My Hands Make the World written and illustrated by Amalia Hoffman PJ Publishing, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Dena Bach There are many, many books that depict the creation story that begins the Torah, the first chapter of Bereshit, the Book of Genesis. Yet the approach of this board book is a novel one. Board books often use simple drawings to explain simple concepts, yet this book aims to do more. The deceptively simple narrative and artwork here tell more than just the story of Genesis, they tell about creation and about creating, reaching children at their level, in a child-friendly and inspiring way. As Hoffman explains in the endnotes, everyone, including children, are created “B’tzelem Elokim” in the divine image. Therefore everyone, including children, are participants in the act of creation. The medium of colorful finger painting, a common way that a young child begins to delve into art and storytelling, is an excellent choice. On every page a child’s handprint is an ...

  Baby Moses in a Basket by Caryn Yacowitz, illustrated by Julie Downing Candlewick Press Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz Buy at Bookshop.org Baby Moses, set adrift in a basket by his mother, floats down the river Nile. An ibis, a hippopotamus, and a crocodile each meet the sleeping baby and, somewhat improbably, take a turn at protecting him through night and rainstorm. In the morning, Pharoah's daughter finds the baby and joyfully draws him out of the water. The narrative departs from the source material in Exodus beyond the insertion of the protective animals. The basket's journey lasts all night and seems to cover quite a distance. The baby is identified as Moses from the beginning, rather than being named Moses ("I drew him out of the water") by Pharoah's daughter. There is no mention of sister Miriam watching over her little brother and being on hand to offer her mother's nursing services to the princess, who gives no indication that s...

 Hiding Baby Moses  by Judith L. Roth, illustrated by Melanie Cataldo Flyaway Books Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Kathy Bloomfield Buy at Bookshop.org This is a lovingly told, beautifully illustrated midrash of the “Moses in a Basket” story. Miriam is depicted as a courageous older sister looking out for her baby brother, even standing up to the formidable looking Pharaoh’s daughter and her retinue. There are, however, a few items in this version that should give the Jewish reader pause. First, as Moses’ mother (who is only referred to as Mama in the story) carries the basket to the Nile River, she sings a soothing song. The song, “The Shelter of God’s Wings” has these lyrics: “God will hide us in the shelter of a rock./ God will shield with holy feathers, hide us ‘neath strong wings./ A refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat,/ God will hide us in the shelter of strong wings,” that bear a striking resemblance to passages from Psalms (91:4, 17:8) and Isaiah (32:2), ...