The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Eight Sweet Nights, A Festival of Lights: A Hanukkah Story by Charlotte Offsay, illustrated by Menahem Halberstadt Doubleday Books for Young Readers (imprint of Knopf), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rebecca Greer Buy at Bookshop.org A joyous introduction to Hannukah for young children. This delightful story follows a family consisting of a mother, father, son, and daughter celebrating the Festival of Lights together. They visit extended family, cook and eat latkes and sufganiyot, light traditional candles, play dreidel games, and open presents. Each page includes a small caption explaining traditions and words that may not be familiar. At the end of the book, the complete Hanukkah story is told in an age-appropriate way along with information on what the word means and why it’s spelled in various ways. Also included is an overview of how and why Hanukkah is celebrated, discussing the many traditions depicted in the story. The parents and children are illustrated in a variety o...

Challah Day! by Charlotte Offsay, illustrated by Jason Kirschner Holiday House, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Linda Marshall   Buy at Bookshop.org In this warm, rollicky kitchen adventure, a family (including the dog and rambunctious baby) prepares to welcome Shabbat by making home-made challah for Friday night dinner. In bouncing, rhyming language that begs to be read aloud again and again and again, the steps of challah-making are described. Hilarious illustrations by Jason Kirschner depict the joy of family baking and add to the humor. The rhymes bounce, the story is told, the table is spread. The reader is in for a treat. Challah Day is a warm, humorous, and accurate representation of an Ashkenazic Jewish family as they make the traditional challah bread in preparation for Shabbat. The story's emphasis on creating a Jewish home shines at the end of the story when older guests (presumably grandparents) arrive to join in welcoming Shabbat. Back matter includes an eas...