The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

A Mitzvah for George Washington by Rachelle Burk, illustrated by Chiara Fedele Creston Books, 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Marcia M. Rosenthal Buy at Bookshop.org A Mitzvah for George Washington is a historical fiction picture book based on an authentic event. On August 17, 1790, Washington arrived in Newport, Rhode Island. The leader of the Hebrew Congregation of Newport prepared for Washington’s visit by writing a letter of gratitude to him for being a “guiding light to religious freedom.”    In this fictional story, the leader tells his daughter Bella that expressing gratitude is a mitzvah. She is so inspired by Washington’s advocacy for freedom of religion that she gathers the children of the Congregation to prepare signs to welcome and thank him. Upon his arrival, Washington is escorted by a large crowd, but the children are obstructed from his view. Undeterred, they make candles to give to Washington the next day, but the children are unable to see him. Bella...

The Blue Glass Heart by Yona Zeldis McDonough, illustrated by Chiara Fedele Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Elizabeth Suneby Buy at Bookshop.org The Blue Glass Heart is a quintessential circular journey picture book. It recounts the travels of a heart-shaped shard of blue glass across oceans—from New York to Florida to Venezuela to Tel Aviv and back to New York once again—and across generations, from Sarah who mistakenly broke her grandmother’s vase to her great granddaughter Ruth who receives the shard as a token of friendship and says to her mother, “Maybe this is a piece of Great-Grandma Sarah’s bowl.” The story and illustrations are sweet and simple, likely to appeal to a young child who will enjoy hearing about the unlikely spots in which the shard appears in between its time in the sea—atop a sandcastle, hiding in a basket of clams, in fish stew, a pocket, and a lobster’s claw—and tickled that the blue glass makes i...

Rosalind Looked Closer: An Unsung Hero of Molecular Science by Lisa Gerin, illustrated by Chiara Fedele Beaming Books (imprint of 1517 Media), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Karin Fisher-Golton   Buy at Bookshop.org   Rosalind Looked Closer follows the childhood, education, and accomplishments of British Jewish scientist Rosalind Franklin, who lived in the early- to mid-twentieth century. This narrative nonfiction book has a length and complexity that make it a good fit for the older end of the picture book audience.  Lisa Gerin’s text shows how a little girl with interest in science can overcome obstacles and develop into a woman whose research impacts the world. The repeating refrain “Rosalind always took a closer look” is fitting for both Rosalind’s passion as a scientist and for her accomplishment of capturing the first images of DNA, something that she was not credited for because she was a woman. The story effectively shows how Rosalind, and all scientists,...

The Stars Will Be My Nightlight: A Sukkot Story by Jen Halpern, illustrated by Chiara Fedele Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Dena Bach Buy at Bookshop.org This fine bedtime story by educator and first-time author Jen Halpern begins with a mother and her young son talking about the meaning of the holiday of Sukkot as they make decorations for their sukkah. After the boy convinces his reluctant mother to spend the night in the sukkah, Halpern uses the tradition of saying the Sh’ma prayer before bedtime to add a spiritual side to the narrative. While the narrative centers on the relationship between mother and son, the history and traditions of Sukkot are deftly explained through the words and pictures, and in the back matter. Adding a mystical quality to the narrative are Chiara Fedele’s illustrations, suffused with so many different kinds of light, from the setting and rising sun, to the electric lights in the sukkah, to th...

 The Rabbi and the Reverend: Joachim Prinz, Martin Luther King Jr., and Their Fight against Silence by Audrey Ades, illustrated by Chiara Fedele Kar-Ben (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group) Category: Picture Book Reviewer: Rachel Simon   Buy at Bookshop.org The Rabbi and The Reverend: Joachim Prinz, Martin Luther King Jr. and Their Fight Against Silence   tells the story of two men in their fight for civil rights in the 1960’s. Readers have the pleasure of getting to know a little backstory of King and Prinz’s lives before they met, as well as their interactions together. Prinz left Germany when things began to become difficult for Jews with the Nazis’ rise, and even talked about leaving before things got worse. The picture book is filled with strong illustrations that help enhance the text. The mood varies between hopeful and somber, portraying the struggles Prinz and King encountered as they fought against silence. Overall, The Rabbi and the Reverend is a great...