The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

We Celebrate the Light by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple, illustrated by Jieting Chen RISE x Penguin Workshop (imprint of Penguin Random House), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rinat Hadad Siegel Buy at Bookshop.org The concept of light, with its many facets, has long fascinated humanity. It's a theme that resonates across cultures and is at the heart of numerous traditions and celebrations worldwide. In this universal and uplifting book, We Celebrate The Light , we glimpse some of these light celebrations worldwide. The story moves from one light celebration to another, starting with Diwali and continuing with the Winter Solstice, Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, and Bodhi Day, and ending with the Lunar New Year. Each holiday is defined very briefly on the story pages, plus there is a more detailed glossary for each holiday at the end of the book. The words describing each celebration form a lyrical poem of hope, unity, and togetherness. Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple h...

Rebecca's Prayer for President Lincoln by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Laura Barella Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker Buy at Bookshop.org Rebecca's Prayer for President Lincoln is based on a true story and vividly captures the emotion of the Jewish community in Washington, DC, following news of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Prolific children’s author Jane Yolen, once again, brings a story to life through her elegant and engaging language. The story centers on a Jewish family and takes place immediately after the Civil War. It is told in the voice of the younger of two sisters. She adopts her father’s strong disdain for slavery -- and reverence for Abraham Lincoln. Even though her father comes home from the war with a useless wooden hand, he never stops believing in the righteousness of the war. He tells his family, “We Jews who were once slaves in Egypt, we especially, should never let another huma...

The Many Problems of Rochel-Leah by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Felisha Henditirto Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House Publishers), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rebecca Klempner Buy at Bookshop.org In  The Many Problems of Rochel-Leah , Jane Yolen relates the tale of a distant relative, Rochel-Leah, who grew up illiterate in the shtetl in the 1830s until her great longing to read pushed her to beg, sneak around, and eventually find a way to learn Hebrew. Intially barred from cheder because she was a girl, eventually Rochel-Leah becomes a teacher herself. She's depicted with great spunk and affection. Henditirto's illustrations nicely support the text. Most of the colors of clothing, furniture, and the forest in and around Rochel-Leah's home are subdued, but her dreams of reading--as well as the contents of books--are suffused with a lovely glow, sparkling with holiness and joy. While the story presents two solid messages -- "Torah learning is f...

The Apple Argument by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Anita Barghigiani Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rachel J. Fremmer Buy at Bookshop.org The Apple Argument is a modern midrash, a backstory to the tales told in the Torah. With richly colored, appropriately lush illustrations by Anita Barghighiani, Jane Yolen spins a story explaining why we must work to coax food from the land. As the fruits bicker over which one of them is best overall, just like people so often do, each cites their strongest quality but fails to recognize that their varied strengths combine to create something better together - a fruit salad perhaps? In a scene relatable to any parent, an exasperated G-d leaves the scene, saying, “I will move far away so I do not need to hear you.” Human laziness - not curiosity - is the driver in this version of the Eden story, resulting in Adam and Eve finding it easier to “pluck the Fruits from the trees and Vines” tha...

Mighty Micah by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Steliyana Doneva Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Linda Elovitz Marshall Buy at Bookshop.org As Micah returns home from a Purim party, he recalls how powerful he’d felt when he whirled his gragger (Purim noisemaker). With it, he could “stand up to anyone – even that bad man Haman!” That night, while Micah is asleep, his gragger is carried off by a raccoon, then a fish, then a heron. Before school that morning, however, it is returned to the lawn in front of Micah’s home. In school, Micah shows the gragger to his teacher, Mrs. Mack, who tells the class how Brave Queen Esther saved her people from the evil Haman. Mrs. Mack adds that “everyone needs to feel powerful sometimes” and gives the gragger to the smallest girl in the class. Story and language are cute and clear, combining elements of a “lost mitten” folktale with an anti-bullying story and a tie-in to Purim. A rhyming refrain abo...

Too Many Golems by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Maya Shleifer Chronicle Books, 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Claire Freeland Buy at Bookshop.org The set-up for this appealing story about golems is that the Rabbi’s son, Abi, in his obliviousness, gets in trouble repeatedly. When he takes an old, tattered scroll from the synagogue basement, he innocently practices the words…sings the words…reads the words…and, fourth time being the charm, summons not one, but ten golems. So, what to do? He does what every well-taught rabbi’s son does: he welcomes the stranger(s). The golems tell him they are there to fight on his behalf. Abi asks them for help in his losing battle with Hebrew. The golems end up tutoring Abi weekly in Hebrew while throwing in some golem songs and stories as well. Years later, Abi’s Hebrew at his Bar Mitzvah is stellar. The golems are as proud as could be. Now that Abi doesn’t need them anymore, the golems slip away. Back matter addresses the origin of the golem le...

Straw Bag, Tin Box, Cloth Suitcase: Three Immigrant Voices by Jane Yolen, Marjorie Lotfi and Raquel Elizabeth Artiga de Paz, illustrated by Fotini Tikkou Reycraft Books, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Jeanette Brod Buy at Bookshop.org As a nation of immigrants, our family histories have roots in other countries. The countries we leave are often fraught with peril for those who live there. At great personal risk, some people choose to emigrate and eventually arrive in America. Straw Bag, Tin Box, Cloth Suitcase: Three Immigrant Voices is the story of three generations that undertake the immigrant journey from different continents. The stories are fictionalized accounts of the families of the storytellers. Each story is told by a woman who passes generational memory to a young girl who is the appointed keeper of the family legacy. An artifact from each place (a straw bag, a tin box, a cloth suitcase) sparks the storytelling and creates some of the parallelism that connects the s...

Schlemiel Comes to America by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Óscar Perez Reycraft Books, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Cindy Rivka Marshall Buy at Bookshop.org Children who delight in silliness, especially the silliness of adults, need look no further than Chelm - a legendary place in Poland where all the people are fools. In the folklore, the people of Chelm take advice from the “wise men” of Chelm who lead their town further into absurdity. Thus the word “wise” is turned on its head to equal “most foolish.” After briefly introducing some classic Chelm anecdotes, author Jane Yolen departs from the usual folklore and tells of a Chelmite who gets fed up and leaves Chelm. He especially cannot tolerate the foolishness of his neighbors when they carry, rather than roll, a large boulder down a mountain. Yolen cleverly names her protagonist Schlemiel, a Yiddish word that means fool. However, in a fun reversal, this schlemiel is surprisingly bright. In fact he does not suffer fools g...

Deborah's Tree by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Cosei Kawa Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rachel J. Fremmer Buy at Bookshop.org This poetic recounting of the story of the Biblical Deborah’s life is stunningly beautiful, in both text and illustrations. The dreamy, lush illustrations by Cosei Kawa have a “Chagall in the Middle East” feel to them, with their motifs of pomegranate, figs, the scales of justice, circles, and spirals, and, of course, trees and leaves, among others, along with a touch of surrealism. As Deborah grows into womanhood and becomes a judge and then a general, she learns why she has been blessed with the gift of foresight and what her purpose is. Because of the poetic nature of the language, this book may be best suited to readers who are familiar with the story of Deborah. It would be perfect for teachers to use with middle-grade or even middle school students in Jewish day schools or Hebrew schools t...

Mrs. Noah's Doves by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Alida Massari Kar-Ben Publishing, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Linda Elovitz Marshall Buy at Bookshop.org In harmonious, poetic language, author Jane Yolen engages readers with kindly Mrs. Noah who cares for injured birds – “ravens and robins, eagles and eiders, cockatoos and crows” and her favorite, the doves – in much the same way a loving grandmother might care for her grandchildren. And when, as we knew would happen, the rains come, Mrs. Noah moves the bird cages higher and higher, caring for the birds, keeping them dry. Still, the waters rise. Mrs. Noah asks Mr. Noah for help. With assurances from Mr. Noah that God has told him what to do, Noah’s family builds a boat – “a floating zoo” – to keep themselves, the birds, and the animals (which arrive two-by-two) safe from flooding waters. At last, the rains cease. Mrs. Noah releases her birds to search for dry land. But, the ravens do...

Something New for Rosh Hashanah by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Christine Battuz Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Bridget Hodder Buy at Bookshop.org Author Jane Yolen delivers again, this time in a charming picture book that sets up a sing-song rhythm as it encourages kids to start the new year right on Rosh Hashanah. Big, vibrant images of the red-haired main character Rebecca and her feline sidekick will capture the attention of little ones.   Rebecca, like many pre-schoolers, has a problem with trying anything new. In fact, her taste is so limited that she refuses to eat anything green or anything that seems like meat. Kids will identify with Rebecca's choosiness, which brings to mind Russell Hoban's classic "Bread and Jam for Frances." (In fact, this book may be a great choice for reading with kids on the autism spectrum who have limited food choices due to sensory issues.)   By example, Rebecca'...

Miriam at the River by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Khoa Le Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Kathy Bloomfield This is a beautifully told, exquisitely illustrated midrash about Miriam putting her brother, Moses, into the Nile River to save him from Pharaoh’s death decree. Jane Yolen is a master storyteller, and she once again proves this with simple words, written in free verse as lilting and calming as the river’s water. The reader learns about Miriam and her prophecies regarding Moses. She has seen the Pharaoh’s daughter pick her brother from the water. She has seen the Red Sea part, and while she is not sure what all her visions mean, she knows that her brother will live to become a great man. The illustrations are breathtaking. Using digital methods supplemented by traditional overlays of watercolor and natural textures, and blues, browns and splashes of red - the colors of the river, the strength of Miriam, the calmness of Moses, and the beauty of Pharaoh’s daughter unf...