The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

The Miracle Seed by Martin Lemelman Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (imprint of William B. Eerdmans), 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Rachel Simon Buy at Bookshop.org The Miracle Seed follows the story of a Judean date seed that was germinated by two female scientists, centuries after the tree had gone extinct.  In 1963, an archeologist named Yigael Yadin did a dig with sixteen other volunteers at the top of Masada in Israel. They discovered a clay jar that held date palm seeds that were 2,000 years old. However, instead of being immediately studied, they were locked away in a drawer until 2004 when Dr. Sarah Sallon, together with Dr. Elaine Solowey, attempted to bring the date seeds back to life. They successfully planted the seeds on Tu’Bshvuat in 2005 and they eventually grew. The scientists were able to share the pollen with others and crossed with a modern date, they able to produce strong trees and dates, starting in 2011.   Written and illustrated by Martin Leme...

I Hate Borsch! written and illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Mirele Kessous Buy at Bookshop.org I Hate Borsch! by Yevgenia Nayberg is an intriguing mix of things: part- memoir, part tribute to her Ukrainian heritage, part amusing children’s book. In it, Nayberg laments growing up surrounded by borsch and being forced to eat the red stew with the “slippery, slimy tomato and the bushy green dill.” The author immigrated to America, where she drifted towards American foods such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and the “mysterious” Pumpkin Spice latte. Yet, she feels that something is missing. That’s when she pulls out her grandmother’s borsch recipes and gets cooking, embracing the part of her heritage she had left behind. Nayberg wrote and illustrated this book, which features pictures that are vibrant and whimsical–playing up the color red whenever possible. The cartoon bubbles add to the engaging illustrations,...