The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

The Babka Sisters by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Tika and Tata Bobokhidze Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Suzanne Grossman Buy at Bookshop.org The great Babka Bake Off is on when loving sisters Esther and Hester compete to create the best babka for their new neighbor, Sylvester. The girls' relationship is challenged by the contest until Sylvester points out that each babka is the best! Esther has made the best cinnamon babka and Hester has made the best chocolate babka. But whose kugel will be the best, next Shabbat? Sibling illustrators Tika and Tata Bobokhidze’s vibrant, cheery digital art with hand-drawn textures invites readers into the playful setting while occasional spotlighting brings details into focus. However, children might find the ages of the sisters confusing. They are presented as little girls, but each lives alone and performs adult activities such as baking, handling knives and enjoying wine. Thi...

Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Susan Gal Category: Picture Book Reviewer: Anna Caplan In Lesléa Newman’s gentle picture book Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail, the Passover seder is rich with sensory experience. It’s also a little bit magical. Using simple, lyrical prose, Newman takes readers on a journey through two separate worlds: a boy experiences the seder indoors while a stray kitten wanders outside. Although the boy and the kitten occupy different spaces, their experiences echo one another: Inside, the boy dipped parsley into salt water. Outside, the kitten chewed A wet blade of grass. Inside, the boy broke the middle matzo in half. outside, the kitten split a twig in two. This soothing pattern of phrases beginning with “inside” and “outside” continues throughout the book. The repetition propels readers forward towards the inevitable meeting between boy and kitten. When they eventually meet...