The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

I Like Your Chutzpah, and Other Yiddish Words You'll Like written and illustrated by Suzy Ultman Rise+Penguin Workshop, 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Eva Weiss Buy at Bookshop.org This pleasingly illustrated board book offers a playful way to introduce young children to twelve beloved and familiar words in Yiddish. Each Yiddish word, from punim to bubbeleh, is highlighted in transliterated English, with adept translations on every page. The colorful and whimsical images do justice in bringing a thousand-year-old language to life for twenty-first century families. The well-chosen words are pronounceable, though a few may require introducing new phonemes. In nearly all cases the words reflect the situations in which they would naturally be used in the life of a toddler. From mishpocha and seychel to mishogas and schpilkes, the words are illustrated with humor and whimsy in universal contexts. On her website, the author describes herself as a born storyteller, illustrator, pr...

This is Not a Cholent by Sarah Sassoon, illustrated by Viviana Garofoli Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Eva L. Weiss Buy at Bookshop.org This cheerfully illustrated picture book is set in Australia and intended for pre-schoolers and young readers ages 4-8. The story is told from the perspective of a young girl, Amira, who, together with her grandmother, participates in a local "cholent" tasting competition. Their Iraqi recipe for t'bit, or hamin, is distinct from the standard Ashkenazic versions of this traditional Sabbath stew, prepared on Friday afternoon and slow-cooked (in accordance with Jewish law) until it is served on Sabbath morning. Amira, with her grandmother's support, succeeds in standing her ground despite the repeated claims that "This is not a cholent." Amira affirms, "It smells and tastes like other languages and other lands."    This simple, well-told tale brings to l...

Afikotective written and illustrated by Amalia Hoffman Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Eva L. Weiss Buy at Bookshop.org In Afikotective , the cub in a family of bears reveals his invention for finding the afikomen, the Passover matzah that is traditionally hidden by a family member and, if not discovered, is redeemed with a gift so that it can serve as the dessert for the seder. In this first-person tale, the cub, who tells his story in the first person, enlists his toy elephant as the afikomen detective, or Afiko-sniffer, since elephants are known for their acute sense of smell. This simple story is lightheartedly told with cut-paper illustrations in opalescent colors that are pleasing to the eye. The toy elephant's search uncovers seder foods, from apples to eggs and bitter herbs, but the afikomen remains elusive until the final plot twist. The scents are not described, and we may be meant to overlook that neither ma...

The Stars by Jacques Goldstyn Aldana Libros (imprint of Greystone Kids), 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Eva L. Weiss   Buy at Bookshop.org The story of young Yakov's fascination with astronomy is told in the first-person, in a straightforward and authentic voice, smoothly translated from the original French. Yakov, who seems to be about age 10-11, has three younger sisters and they are children of a Hassidic family whose father owns a grocery store. Yakov stumbles upon a Muslim girl in the playground, and their instant friendship and shared passion for astronomy is conveyed simply and naturally. The illustrations of this graphic novel are charming and lighthearted, with feathery strokes and eye-pleasing colors. Expressive faces and clever close-ups add to the fun. The plot thickens when Yakov and Aicha discover that they are soulmates as well as neighbors. Their stern-hearted fathers go as far as building a wall between their homes to separate them. The story is plotted lik...

Two Tribes written and illustrated by Emily Bowen Cohen Heartdrum (imprint of HarperCollins), 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Eva L. Weiss Buy at Bookshop.org This middle-grade graphic novel is a creative reimagining of the author's life story. Emily Bowen Cohen was born to a Jewish mother and an indigenous American father, a member of the Muscogee Nation. The author's real-life father died when she was nine years old, but in the novel, the father of Mia, the 12-year-old protagonist, is alive and well in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The plot turns on Mia's decision to run away from her mother and stepfather's home in California to visit her father in Oklahoma after her bat mitzvah. She resents their sincere but heavy handed efforts to immerse her in Jewish culture to the exclusion of the other half of her identity. The narrative authentically unfolds the raw conflicts of Mia's dual identity as she comes of age and fiercely desires to renew her ties with her father, his fa...

My Left Skate: The Extraordinary Story of Eliezer Sherbatov by Anna Rosner Yellow Dog Press (imprint of Great Plains Publications), 2022 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Eva Weiss Buy at Bookshop.org The life story of Eliezer Sherbatov, the courageous and tenacious hockey player is told in the first person, although it is written by educator and author Anna Rosner. Rosner conducted extensive interviews with the protagonist and the narrative is straightforward, authentic, and compelling. It is not an overstatement to brand Eliezer's story (he is now 31 years old) as "extraordinary." He overcame a freak accident that left him with a permanent disability, yet he pursued a career as a hockey player, encouraged by his mother, a professional skating coach, and supported by his family. He was born in Israel, the son of a family with Russian roots. On the first page, Eliezer shares, “My mother’s grandfather, a proud man, had been imprisoned for ten years for his 'Semitic ...

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Couldn't Drive? (Wait! What? series) by Dan Gutman, illustrated by Allison Steinfeld Norton Young Readers, 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Eva L. Weiss   Buy at Bookshop.org This engaging biography of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is told by by fictional siblings Paige and Turner, names which foreshadows the sly and playful tone of the book. The dialogue between the brother and sister is intended to make the young storytellers relatable, and include high-minded quotations ("You can disagree without being disagreeable") to bring to life the sturdy values which characterized the life of RBG. There is a timeline for context. The light-hearted exchanges between the siblings reveal period detail and the inequities of an American era remote from the experiences of twenty-first century middle grade readers. (In 1956, there were only nine women in the Harvard Law School class of 552, and the absence of ladies' bathrooms meant a ...

Salt & Honey: Jewish Teens on Feminism, Creativity, & Tradition Anthology edited by Elizabeth Mandel with JGirls Magazine, illustrations contributed by teen artists and photographers Behrman House & JGirls Magazine, 2022 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Eva L. Weiss   Buy at Bookshop.org This kaleidoscopic anthology brings to life authentic voices of American teens (ages 13-19) who explore their lives, emotions and coming of age through the prism of their identity as Jews. They express themselves through essays, poetry, illustrations and photographs. If the thematic division of the six chapters is a bit blurry, the overarching motif is unmistakable. This collection is a jubilant anthem to diversity and inclusion, written by "self-identifying Jewish girls, young women and nonbinary teens." Teens are also editors of their contributions, drawn from JGirls magazine. A teen with cerebral palsy matter-of-factly shares the accommodations needed to celebrate her bat mitzv...

Hello, Hanukkah! written and illustrated by Susan S. Novich Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group) Category: Picture Book Reviewer: Eva L. Weiss Buy at Kar-Ben.com The eye-pleasing colors and collage illustrations of this holiday board book will appeal to toddlers and parents alike. In a note, author and illustrator Susan S. Novich explains her penchant for creating art with felt and scraps that other people would throw away. Hello, Hanukkah! features an appealing family of badgers, with a father and son who wear kippot. The young cub celebrates the holiday through rituals, perching himself on the number drawn on each page, counting the nights, and reciting the color of the candles.   The book light-heartedly covers many educational bases—blessings, songs, latkes, and stories, as well as calling out numbers and colors. Alongside the candle-lighting badger (a mammal common in Israel), each page also features the distinctive crowned Hoopoe bird, Isr...

A Snake, a Flood, a Hidden Baby: Bible Stories for Children by Meir Shalev, translated by Ilana Kershan, illustrated by Emanuele Luzzati Kalaniot Books (imprint of Endless Mountains Publishing) Category: Picture Book Reviewer: Eva L. Weiss   Buy at Bookshop.org   This book offers an engaging telling of six biblical stories (five from Genesis and one from Exodus) as interpreted by the iconic Israeli author Meir Shalev. The English translation by Ilana Kershan, a writer steeped in Jewish heritage, is both natural and nuanced. The luminous illustrations by the Italian artist Emanuele Luzzati will ignite the imagination of readers of all ages.    The narratives in this sophisticated picture book are well-suited to middle-grade readers, with exchanges between the biblical heroes made relatable for young readers: in the chapter about Adam and Eve, “The two of them looked at each other, blushed, and then burst out laughing.” There are also imaginative flourishes,...

Avi and Ahmed Play Football in Jerusalem's Sacher Park  by Kerry Olitzky & Inas Younis, illustrated by Leticia Saad Dixi Books Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Eva L. Weiss Buy at Dixi Books The plot of this pleasantly illustrated and simply told picture book focuses on misunderstandings between friends—nearly six-year-old Jewish Avi and his Arab friend Ahmed. The story is set in the heart of Jerusalem and the two boys enjoy playing together on the grassy lawns of Jerusalem’s largest public park, Gan Sacher. The misunderstandings are gentle: an American cousin introduces confusion about the terms football and soccer and Avi worries when his Ahmed doesn’t show up for his birthday party in another Jerusalem park. Avi calls his parents by the Hebrew terms Abba and Ima and we see a small kippa on Avi’s head. Ahmed’s culture is given a nod when it is explained that he knows the hour he is expected to go home when he hears the call to prayer from a nearby mosque. Alas, that is a...

 The People's Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art by Cynthia Levinson, illustrated by Evan Turk Harry N. Abrams Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Eva Weiss Buy at Bookshop.org The People’s Painter is a picture book that steeps young readers in life and times of the iconic American Jewish artist Ben Shahn. Each artful and commanding spread by illustrator Evan Turk re-creates the landscape of the American-Jewish immigrant experience of the turn of the twentieth century. At the heart of the story is Ben Shahn’s coming of age and the passion for justice which shaped his career as an artist. Cynthia Levinson’s narrative gives center stage to the artist’s purposefulness (“What shall I paint? Stories”) and his commitment to righting wrongs (“I hate injustice.”) The large-size format and illustrations have the look of a picture book for young readers, but the reading level is clearly more suited for middle-school readers. There are moments when the text matches the quir...