The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Happy HanukKAT by Jessica Hickman, illustrated by Elissambura Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Sarah Clarke   Buy at Bookshop.org   Happy HanukKat is a cute board book that showcases a cat family celebrating Hanukkah. The story begins with the cats getting dressed up in festive sweaters and hats. The young kittens play dreidel, while the adult cats make latkes. After lighting the menorah and reading the story of the Maccabees, delicious jelly donuts are served. The story ends with a warm wish of Happy HanukKAT at the closing of the holiday.   This story is a great read for very young children. It’s simple and to the point. The puns and jokes made, like "the Maccabees were pawsitively brave,” are simple enough that most children will understand them. For the children who don’t understand, it doesn’t take anything away from the story. The rhyming scheme of the books works well, making it a good option for a read-a...

Bavajadas! That's Just Silly! by Sarah Aroeste, illustrated by Annabel Tempest PJ Publishing, 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Lauren Kasiarz   With rhyming questions that are increasingly silly and implausible, this board book is a laugh-out-loud introduction for the youngest readers to Ladino, also known as Judeo-Spanish. Author Sarah Aroeste has coupled these questions with the refrain of “Bavajadas! That’s just silly!” which enhances the interactive read-aloud quality of this story. Illustrator Annabel Tempest then matches the lightheartedness of the text with brightly colored and cartoonish illustrations. With a note on the back of the book, Jews everywhere will benefit from an introduction to Ladino and the Sephardic Jewish community, as well as other languages and dialects that have developed in Jewish communities around the world. At the bottom of the note, there is also a link that readers can follow to find music by author Sarah Aroeste in Ladino. Though the joy of t...

Chesed by Karyn Friedman-Everham, illustrated by Gabby Grant PJ Publishing, 2025 Category: Board Book Reviewer: Elizabeth Suneby   Simple, rhyming text and soft, pleasing illustrations adorn this charming board book about chesed, the Hebrew word for kindness. The story shares the cycle of a girl and her family tending to a fruit sapling as it grows and bears fruit that they share with the community -- people and birds alike! The metaphor of growing chesed communicates the ripple effect of grace and goodwill. What a wonderful opportunity to encourage little ones and the adults reading to them to embrace kindness. The beauty of this book is the universal appeal of the story about one example of kindness. While the note from PJ Library references teachings in the Torah, the book is perfect for families of all faiths. It also helps non-Jewish people better understand Jewish values, which is critical at a time when antisemitism is on the rise.       ARE YOU INTERESTED IN...

New Moon, Hiding Moon: A Playful Action Rhyme by Amy Vatner, illustrated by Patti Argoff Hachai, 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Arlene Rosenfeld Schenker   This board book introduces the littlest tykes to the moon’s phases with short rhyming verses and big bold, color-saturated illustrations. Each page is a delight to look at and read. The verses begin with a dark sky and then continue with a crescent moon, a half-moon, a three-quarter moon, a full moon, and then back again to a hiding moon. Each phase is associated with something familiar to very young children: smiles, pizza, the boy’s kippa, a circle. Children will be drawn into the story even more by the illustrations which prompt them to trace their own smiles and make circles in the air. The children in the story are clearly from an observant Jewish family as the two boys are wearing kippot and the older boy is wearing tzitzit. The fact of the new moon signaling a new month in the Jewish calendar is only indicated on th...

10 Nesting Swallows: A Biblical Counting Book by Tammar Stein, illustrated by Chloë Manasseh-Benjamin Morehouse Publishing, 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz   Buy at Bookshop.org   On each page of this countdown board book, we find a different species of bird: 10 nesting swallows, 9 chattering cranes, and so on. The activities or characteristics of each bird correspond to a biblical quotation in small print on the same spread, all from "Old Testament" sources. The author and illustrator are both Jewish but the book is from a Christian publisher, which may explain the emphasis on quoting scripture.    Young children may enjoy counting backwards and seeing the various birds, but the biblical aspect may be lost on them. Parents who are biblical scholars may be the best audience for this book. The quotations include citations but no context, and will make little sense to the toddlers at whom a counting board book is ostensibly aimed. Older children ...

My Shofar written and illustrated by Ann Diament Koffsky Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2025 Category: Board Book Reviewer: Judy Ehrenstein   Buy at Bookshop.org A young elephant girl explores the concepts of quiet and loud while trying to blow a shofar. Readers will enjoy the humorous twist of the horn being filled with peanuts, thus causing the lack of volume. The illustrations feature a personable elephant and her loving mother, arranged with plenty of blank space on each page. The text is spare, appropriate for the age and interest level of this book. This book, part of a series, offers Jewish families a unique way to use a ritual object to teach an age appropriate concept, in this case the opposites of quiet and loud. The text at the end and on the back of the book, which is directed at adults, assumes knowledge of the use and purpose of a shofar.   ARE YOU INTERESTED IN REVIEWING BOOKS FOR THE SYDNEY TAYLOR SHMOOZE? CLICK HERE   Reviewer Judy ...

Laila Tov, Grover! by Joni Sussman, illustrated by Tom Leigh Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner), 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Sarah Clarke   Buy at Bookshop.org   It’s time for bed, Grover! This sweet board book, featuring everyone’s favorite Sesame Street monster Grover, follows a nightly bedtime routine. It is the fifth book in Kar-Ben’s Shalom Sesame series. We follow our pal, Grover, as he puts on pajamas, brushes his teeth, listens to his Imma read him a bedtime story, says Shema, snuggles with his stuffed bunny and receives kisses from Imma before it’s lights out. He is off to sleep; Laila Tov, Grover! While this board book is short, only 12 pages, it truly hones in on the subject of (re)introducing little ones to a nightly routine. It uses thoughtfully crafted sentences that are direct and use ordinary language. The illustrations showcase a familiar friend, doing things that many children already do each night. There is no confusion as to what is shown in ea...

Anyada Buena, Shanah Tovah by Sarah Aroeste, illustrated by Maria Mola Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner), 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Lauren Kasiarz   Buy at Bookshop.org   With rhyming text, this Rosh Hashanah board book softly welcomes in the Jewish new year and walks young readers through Sephardic new year traditions, such as the blessing over eight symbolic foods. Readers also learn how to say happy new year in both Ladino and Hebrew with the refrain “anyada buena, shanah tovah”. The story concludes with the family coming together to celebrate the new year. For ages one to four, Anyada Buena, Shanah Tovah honors accessible Rosh Hashanah traditions that young readers can participate in such as blowing (or listening to) the shofar, eating apples dipped in honey, and having a round challah. Maria Mola’s illustrations are youthful with muted, warm tones that are reminiscent of the autumn season during which Rosh Hashanah occurs. Readers may also scan the QR cod...

It's a Mitzvah! Small Deeds with Big Heart written and illustrated by Suzy Ultman Rise x Penguin Workshop, 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Elizabeth Suneby   Buy at Bookshop.org   It's A Mitzvah: Small Deeds with Big Heart joins two previous Jewish-themed board books ( I Like Your Chutzpah and Shabbat Shalom ) that Ultman has written and illustrated. In her latest, she continues her trademark bright colors, bold graphics, and cute drawings of people and animals that appeal to little ones. She uses the kid-friendly refrain "I like when..." to introduce the concept of good deeds/mitzvot, such as telling the truth, asking questions, and even rescuing an earthworm stranded on the sidewalk! She follows each "I like" statement with "It's ..." with the Hebrew word for the good deed showcased. Last, she includes a parenthetical description of each mitzvah. (FYI, rescuing an earthworm is tikkun olam, the mitzvah of repairing the world.) While the...

What Shape Is Your Bagel? A First Book of Jewish Food by The Macaroons, illustraed by Shahar Kober Doubleday (imprint of Random House Children's Books), 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz   Buy at Bookshop.org   This short rhyming book introduces various Ashkenazi Jewish foods by their shapes - a bagel is a circle, a matzah is a square, and so on. Some of the shapes may be less familiar to the preschool audience - the trapezoid shaped glass of Shabbos grape juice, for example, and the cylindrical blintzes (the only 3D shape included). Some of the foods are associated with holidays, while others just represent Jewish cuisine generally. Cozy, colorful illustrations by the talented Shahar Kober show Jewish eaters with a variety of skin and hair colors, although dietary habits imply that all of these characters are Ashkenazim. The book is a companion to a cute song of the same title by The Macaroons (Shawn Fogel, Dan Saks, and Dave Schneider), which can be play...

ABCs of Judaism by Rachel Tichauer, illustrated by Isabel Foo Grosset & Dunlap, 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Ann Koffsky   Buy at Bookshop.org   The ABC’s of Judaism is cheerful board book that uses the structure of an alphabet book to introduce the youngest readers to basic concepts in Judaism. A is for Afikoman, B is for Bar Mitzvah, C is for Challah, and so on. Each item also gets a brief, two sentence explanation. (I suspect many families will find these explanations useful to grown-up readers too.) The choices of which concepts should illustrate each letter are sometimes lovely and obvious (I knew before turning the page that S would be for Shabbat! ). The surprises are also just lovely: Z is for Zachor, V is for V’ahavta, and Q is for questioning: because, “Judaism is more about the questioning than it is about the answers.” The illustrations are authentic, bright and charming. They add additional Jewish content that is not overtly mentioned in the text as we...

Shabbat in a Nest by Chris Barash, illustrated by Sydney Hanson PJ Publishing, 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Sarah Clarke Shabbat in a Nest is a sweet board book featuring Yanni, a young owlet, as he shares his favorite time of the week: Shabbat. His family gathers, coming from near and far, to light candles, feast, rest, and spend time together. His uncle comes on Friday night for Shabbat dinner. On Saturday, his aunt and cousins come to play. Yanni’s father tells the owlets a story about King Soloman, as Yanni notes that it’s the only time his father has to tell stories. As night falls, the owls look for the first three stars in the night to signal the end of Shabbat. At the end of the night, after the HavdalahcCandle is put out, Yanni’s family fly off into the night. As Yanni falls asleep, he thinks about the upcoming week, and next Shabbat.  This story is fantastic for young children celebrating Shabbat. The text is clear and concise, and it has a clear perspective tha...

  Shabbat Shalom, Let's Rest and Reset written and illustrated by Suzy Ultman Rise x Penguin Workshop, 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Ann Koffsky   Buy at Bookshop.org In Shabbat Shalom, Let’s Rest and Reset, author and illustrator Suzy Ultman speaks directly to the youngest readers and distills the concept of Shabbat for them. Using kid friendly language, she helps them to connect to the idea of a Sabbath rest in ways that they can understand. This is a challenge, as Shabbat is usually described as a day that we refrain from work. But…three-year-olds don’t usually have 9-5 to five jobs! So how to put it in terms that connect to them and their lives? Ultman brilliantly does so by saying that Shabbat is different. All the others day of the week are for DOING, while Shabbat is for BEING. She also recognizes how different personalities will best each enjoy the Shabbat their own way—some will enjoy with family, while others will enjoy just being alone. But at its core, Shab...

Shabbat Shalom, the Trucks Come Home by Sherri Mandell, illustrated by Viviana Garofoli Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Julie Ditton   Buy at Bookshop.org   Welcome Shabbat with your little one with this adorable picture book. Lots of little kids love their toy trucks and Sherri Mandell has created a cute story with construction trucks celebrating the sabbath. Mandell lists several different trucks along with Shabbat elements. Each truck contributes to the celebration and soon we have a Shabbat dinner complete with grape juice, candles, chicken, challah, soup, and dessert. Her catchy rhymes are brought to life with cute colorful illustrations. This book is perfect for a Jewish child's home library. As the author's note points out, Shabbat is that much more special when everyone helps out. As a bonus the book even has a "Meet the Trucks" section in the back. Although it is aimed specifically at Jewish children, ...

My Seder Plate: A Passover Book by Kristen Weber, illustrated by Yaara Cellier Clarion Books (imprint of HarperCollins), 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Lila Spitz   Buy at Bookshop.org   This Seder plate shaped board book for babies and toddlers educates young readers about the Jewish holiday of Passover. Every page features English and Hebrew names of foods on the Seder plate and an explanation on how the shape, color, and characteristics of each food symbolize specific events in the Passover story. The book begins with an empty Seder plate on the left-hand side of the page, however, as each successive page is turned, another food is added to the plate so that by the end of the story all seven foods on the Seder plate are present. The right-pages feature cartoon illustrations of a multigenerational redheaded Jewish family enjoying cooking, talking and preparing for the Passover Seder meal together. My Seder Plate accurately describes each item on the Seder plate and e...

My Matzah written & illustrated by Ann Diament Koffsky Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Rebecca Greer   Buy at Bookshop.org   This simplistic board book focuses on a young koala bear trying to find the hidden matzah, also referred to as the “afikoman”. He looks high and low throughout the house as an older male koala looks on. It is only when the pair search together that it is found and can be eaten. At the end is a brief note that the afikoman is hidden during Passover and must be searched for. The question is also posed to the reader “where would you choose to hide it?” which sets up a discussion after the book is done. Clever artwork shows the fun and joy of searching for the matzah, especially once it’s found and can be eaten, through the use of onomatopoeia words “munch” and “crunch”. The story is extremely brief, with a focus on the artwork, giving a glimpse into a Passover seder. A quick and cute read for you...

  One, Two, Three, Passover! by Naomi Shulman, illustrated by Nora Hilb PJ Publishing, 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Ann Koffsky   Buy at Amazon.com Like all successful board books aimed at the youngest readers, One, Two, Three, Passover is deceptively simple. It’s main character of a young girl takes the reader through the highlights of the Passover holiday, starting with preparation, then through the seder meal. At each stage, the refrain of “one Two three!” is repeated, and is used to count three matzahs, three haggaddahs, and three claps along to dayenu and more. Throughout, our protagonist is accompanying by her adorable and fluffy dog, and through the illustrations we get to meet her grandparents and multi-racial friends, too. The words of the book are very well structured, and target the age group well. Sentences are simple, and the concept of 1,2,3 is right on point, and exactly what readers this age are learning. The illustrations are also very cleve and add l...

Time for Hamantaschen by Madelyn Rosenberg, illustrated by Raaya Karas PJ Publishing, 2025 Category: Board Books  Reviewer: Mirele Kessous   Buy at Amazon.com Here’s a cute Purim board book for children ages 0-5. It has a catchy rhythm that will get little ones bobbing their heads, and a diverse cast of characters. Follow the children as they bake hamantaschen and stuff bags with Purim goodies. The colorful pictures of tasty Mishloach Manot will be a focal point for young readers. You may want to have some hamantaschen or candy on hand to avoid the kvetching. This is a gentle introduction to Purim for young kids who may or may not have background knowledge on the holiday.    The cast of Jewish children are diverse in skin tones. None wear markers of Jewish identity such as a kippah. The only Jewish vocabulary included in this simple book is "Purim" and "hamantaschen." A good introduction for those with little Jewish background knowledge, and a fun story for those i...

Who Brought the Hamantaschen? by Marcia S. Gresko, illustrated by Steve Mack Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2025 Category: Picture Books/Board Book Reviewer: Sarah Clarke   Buy at Bookshop.org This is a board book aimed at the youngest of readers. The story features a diverse group of children dressed up for Purim with a delicious fruit treat in hand for the Purim party. Along with the costumes and the snacks, the book emphasizes colors: green grapes, yellow bananas, orange papayas and more. Of course, the question is asked: "who brought the hamantaschen?" The grandparents, of course! At the end of the book, we see a full spread of costumes, kids, and snacks. This book is bright and colorful with child-friendly illustrations that will appeal to toddlers. Gresko’s text is simple and appropriate for this age group and will most definitely hold their attention and create meaningful conversations with the adult reader. With the children and the grandpa...

Jewish Cats All Year Round by Varda Livney PJ Publishing, 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rachel Aronowitz Buy at Amazon.com This cute board book, full of pastel colored, cartoonish illustrations, highlights cats celebrating different Jewish holidays with symbols and simple text. Young children will enjoy seeing the smiling cats and a mouse friend on each page.    Since this book is so simple and the only text is the name of the holiday accompanied by a few illustrations symbolic of each holiday, it would be necessary for someone with more knowledge of Jewish holidays to be present to provide more context. For example, the page for Passover only shows a pile of matzoh. If a person unfamiliar with Jewish holidays or culture was reading this book, they might not understand the meaning conveyed by the page. I think this book is only useful in a Jewish setting since non-Jewish readers will be at a loss to explain the text and illustrations. I don't believe it increases the ...