The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Matzah Ball Chase by Rachelle Burk, illustrated by Brittany Lakin Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House Publishers), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck Buy at Bookshop.org There is, of course, “On Top of Spaghetti.” Then there’s The Matzah Man by Naomi Howland (Clarion Books, 2002), The Matzo Ball Boy by Lisa Shulman (Puffin Books, 2007), and The Ball of Clay that Rolled Away by Elizabeth Lenhard (Two Lions, 2012). This latest tale of silliness and runaway Jewish food has a different spin. The rhyming couplets describe the pursuit of Savta’s matzah ball through Israel, from the amazing Baha’i Gardens in Haifa, to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem (the City of Gold), then to the Judean Desert, the Dead Sea, and Masada. The matzah ball finally ends up in Eilat, the southernmost city in Israel, and playful dolphins take it out in the Red Sea. The moral of the story – make matza squares instead of balls! The use of “savta” as grandmother will alert the reader that the...

Anything Is Possible by Rochel Sandman, illustrated by Chana Zakashansky-Zverev Hachai Publishing, 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck   Buy at Hachai.com Bubbe Hinda and Zayde Mendel have fled from their home. It is wartime, and all resources are in short supply. Zayde Mendel is worried that there will not be matzah for Passover, and Bubbe Hinda sets out to make it happen. She goes to the farmer, who has no extra wheat. When she sees his worn-out boots, she offers some leather for wheat. Her next stop is the leather tanner, who has no extra leather, and a leaky roof. Bubbe Hinda offers tin to fix the roof in exchange for the leather. From there, she goes to the scrap dealer. He has no extra tin, but Bubbe Hinda notices his daughter’s shawl has holes, and offers to bring wool to knit a new one. Finally, Bubbe Hinda meets an old woman with a sheep. She asks for some wool, but the old woman says she has no extra for sale. Bubbe Hinda asks if there is anything she c...

The Secret Journey by Rivkah Yudasin, illustrated by Jacky Yarhi Hachai Publishing, 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck Buy at Hachai.com Inspired by true events, The Secret Journey is the story of Reb Yitzchak Zilber and his family. In Communist Russia in 1953, it was a challenge to “live as a Torah Jew.” Reb Yitzchak is sent to a prison camp, and his family must prepare for Pesach. Mama, Sarah, and Bechik take the train to a small village, where an old man shows them the strip of land where he grows wheat for matzah. The family brings a heavy sack of flour home with them, and Mama adds it to her “stash.” She brings all the flour to a cellar, where Rabbi Sandok mixes the flour and water and Mama and Mrs. Sandok roll out the dough. Then the matzahs are put in the oven. When they are done baking, Mama loads her sled and covers them with a blanket. On her way home, she encounters two soldiers. They are suspicious about her cargo, but she says a silent prayer, and the so...

I Can Wait written & illustrated by Rikki Benenfeld Hachai, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck Buy at Hachai A brother and sister learn to wait as they go through their weekly activities. Rhyming couplets with easy words narrate the story. On Sunday, the boy wakes up early, but refrains from drumming until everyone else wakes up. The kids wait for rides to school, wait for a doctor's appointment, wait for Mommy to finish talking on the phone, wait for their father to bring their pizza order, and wait to cross the street. On Friday, the children wait for the challah dough to rise and wait for a taste of chocolate cake. Then they don their special clothes that they have waited to wear. The book ends with the ultimate wait - "For Moshiach to come quickly B'mheira, b'yomeinu!" Rikki Benefeld writes and illustrates "The Toddler Experience Series" for Hachai, and the consistent style of illustration throughout the series will be immediat...

Hello, Morning! by Chaya Freedman, illustrated by Dena Ackerman Hachai, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck The prayer "Modeh Ani" (I thank; I acknowledge) is the first thing that Jews say when they wake up in the morning, and this cheery book shows everyone waking up in a great mood and ready to do mitzvot. Dena Ackerman's accurate and authentic illustrations are colorful and classic for a book from an Orthodox publisher, and they set the mood well. They show a household awakening and doing morning rituals: washing negel vasser and putting on tzitzit. There are birds and animals ready to greet the morning in their own way, too. For the most part, the simple rhymes work well (though "Now to Hashem I will say 'Thank You!'" is a little awkward) and include a transliteration of the Hebrew. A note to parents and teachers at the end explains the significance and importance of the prayer. The last page of the book includes Modeh Ani in Hebrew...

And So Is Hashem by Aura Dweck, illustrated by Gillian Flint Hachai Publishing Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck Buy at Hachai.com When we do things that make other people happy, Hashem is also happy. So when a boy's mother calls him and he stops playing to go to her, when a girl refrains from waking up her sleeping father, when a boy greets his grandmother with a hug and a snack, when children share their toys or help neighbors, all these people are happy, "and so is Hashem." The repetition works well for young readers as they learn the not-so-subtle lesson. The illustrations are cute and colorful, depicting both boys and girls. The boys and the Tatty (father) are obviously wearing kippot, while the women appear to be wearing sheitels. A very short glossary includes Hashem, Bubby, and Tatty, but it easily adapted for all Jewish audiences by using the English words while reading.    The book is based on a verse from Pirkei Avos (3:13): "He used to say...

The Traveling Smile written and illustrated by Rikki Benenfeld Hachai Publishing Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck   Buy at Hachai.com   Rikki Benefeld is a prolific author of many books for Hachai. On the one hand, it is nice for children to recognize the style of the writing and the pictures. On the other, it looks very much like her other books. A young boy wakes up in a good mood, and his happiness is infectious. He hugs his mother, and she smiles. He gives his sister some of his muffin, and she smiles. Each person "passes" a smile onto another person, until it comes full circle when a girl smiles at an older woman, who is the grandmother of the original boy. She had brought her smile along for a visit. After these encounters, the refrain repeats, "Share a smile happy and strong. And watch those smiles travel along!" The book is dedicated in memory of a man who followed the precept of Pirkei Avos and "greeted everyone with a pleasant countena...

From My Heart: A Child Talks to Hashem by Esty Perman, illustrated by Anna Abramskaya Hachai Publishing Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck   A girl talks to Hashem because she has so much to tell God. She talks to Hashem a lot -- when she's happy, when she's said, when she's scared, and when sick people need help. Sometimes she sings the set prayers, and other times she whispers her own words. She makes sure to ask for Moshiach because she is anxious for him to come. The illustrations are vibrant and the girl's facial expressions make her feelings clear. Interestingly, there are no males depicted in the book. Books about God and prayer for young readers are challenging because it's hard to explain spiritual concepts. The "report" to Hashem is a good premise for the girl to give examples of why she talks to Hashem, and is reminiscent of (l'havdil) Anne LaMott's distillation of prayer into "Thanks, Help, Wow!". For adults, it...

Pumpkin Pie for Sigd by Jennifer Tzivia MacLeod, illustrated by Denise Damanti Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck Buy at Bookshop.org The focus of this story is on Maddie, a white American girl who has made aliyah with her family from the United States, and who misses Thanksgiving and its traditional foods. She is welcomed by her black friend Orly's family to join their celebration of Sigd, the Ethiopian holiday that celebrates the acceptance of the Torah. The story highlights diversity with the girls prevailing on neighbors for ingredients for a pumpkin pie. The illustrations are colorful, with the Sigd celebration scenes full of happy people and lively interaction. Readers learn about traditional Ethiopian foods - misir wat (spicy lentil stew), injera (sour bread), and dabo (holiday bread). An author's note explains how immigrants to Israel acclimate and a little about Sigd, which falls on the 29th of Cheshvan...

 Shabbat Shalom by Douglas Florian, illustrated by Hannah Tolson Candlewick Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck Buy at Bookshop.org This board book has few words and colorful, cute illustrations. Although one would not attribute "literary quality," it definitely stands out in the category. The rhymes are very simple, "We hurry home. Shabbat Shalom!" The pictures are what make the book interesting, as they depict an observant family, with the father, grandfather and son wearing huge kippot, and the mother and grandmother wearing head coverings that look like babushkas from the shtetl. If I were going to nit pick, I would change “A prayer is said on challah bread” to “a blessing is said” and for “the food is sweet,” I would change the picture from chicken soup to dessert. That said, the book meets the Sydney Taylor Book Award criteria with its authentic, positive presentation of the Sabbath for the very youngest children. Are you interested in reviewing b...

Shloimie's Letter by Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili, illustrated by Michael Biniashvili Hachai Publishing Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck Buy at Hachai Publishing An early reader with large text and short chapters, this story is inspired by events in the author's family history. Set in 1946/1947, Shloimie Paporovich and his family live in Toronto. This ten-year-old enjoys playing baseball with his friends, but one day when he pitches, the ball breaks the car window of a neighbor, Mr. Barclay. Shloimie knows that "Gam zu l'tova" - everything is for the good, so he confesses to Mr. Barclay and agrees to do chores to work off the cost of the broken window. His best friend Hershel helps him out, which makes the raking of leaves and snow shoveling go faster. One day Shloimie's family receives a mysterious letter from Sweden. A cousin survived the Holocaust. The Paporovich family would like Leib to move to Canada, but the immigration laws are very...

 I Am Defiance: A Novel of WWII by Jenni L. Walsh Scholastic Press Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck Buy at Bookshop.org This fictional story is narrated in the first person, present by Brigitte Schmidt, a twelve-year-old girl living in Munich in the early 1940s. She goes to Jungmädelbund (Young Girls’ League) (JM) meetings with her best friend Marianne. Their group leader, Elisabeth, encourages the girls to “report” to her, and Brigitte is conflicted. Her older sister Angelika had polio, and she and her father fear that if people notice her limp, she will be sent away. Brigitte often feels this tension of whether she is a “good German” or a good daughter and sister when she does not agree with the anti-Semitic dogma taught at JM meetings. When Angelika has to fulfill her national service requirement by working in a munitions factory in Ulm, she meets the charismatic Sophie, who will be attending university with her. Soon there are more secrets in Brigitte’s house, as...

Yitzy Aims High by Ann D. Koffsky, illustrated by Margeaux Lucas Category: Early Chapter Book Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck Buy at Menucha Yitzy is waiting in the lobby of the synagogue while his father prays in the sanctuary. But it is taking a very long time. Yitzy has been entertaining himself by playing with his toy dragon and barrel of monkeys, but is bored and decides to kiss the mezuzah on the doorpost of the shul. It is up pretty high, and his attempts at jumping to reach it are not working. His toys start talking to him, with the monkeys forming a chain to help him, and the dragon trying to fly Yitzy to the mezuzah, but still, no success. Then Mr. Gertz arrives in a wheelchair and asks Yitzy to hold the door open so he can go in. To return the favor, Mr. Gertz tells Yitzy to climb onto his lap. Yitzy puts his feet on the arms of the wheelchair, and he can reach the mezuzah and kiss it. Yitzy realizes Mr. Gertz can't reach the mezuzah, so he gets him a siddur to tap it. Yitzy...

Once again, it's time to meet your Sydney Taylor Shmooze admins! Three friends run this blog: Susan Kusel (whose brainchild it was) and her partners in crime, Chava Pinchuck and Heidi Rabinowitz. You can read a bit about us in the About section but we thought you might like to get to know each of us a little better. Today it's Chava's turn. Chava Pinchuck 1. Describe a day in your professional life. My professional life is very quiet compared to Heidi's . I am usually sitting at my desk, working on the computer. I spend a good portion of the day doing research and looking at book reviews. 2. Talk about your experience on the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee.  L-R: Chava Pinchuck with 2010 STBA winner April Halprin Wayland My time on the committee was one of the best experiences of my life, both personally and professionally. I read so many great books (and a few duds), I learned so much about Jewish Children's Literature and secular children...