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’s final

Ping-Pong Shabbat: The True Story of Champion Estee Ackerman by Ann Diament Koffsky, illustrated by Abigail Rajunov Little Bee Books, 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Marcia Rosenthal Buy at Bookshop.org In this picture book biography, we learn the true story of Estee Ackerman. Estee learns how to play ping-pong at home and quickly develops a love for the game. Before long, she enters tournaments, beating opponents both younger and older than herself. Estee even wins a ping-pong match against one of the top professional tennis stars of all time: Rafael Nadal. She proves herself to be a skilled competitor, and her future holds much promise of becoming a champion in the sport. That opportunity comes sooner than one would have imagined. At just eleven years old, Estee has qualified for the championship match in the United States National Table Tennis Championship. But her excitement comes to an abrupt stop. She discovers that the match is scheduled to take place on Shabbat, thus cr

Rebbe Nachman's The Lost Princess retold and illustrated by Jessica Tamar Deutsch Somewhere (imprint of Ayin Press), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Marcia Rosenthal Buy at Bookshop.org The Lost Princess is an imaginative tale by Rebbe Nachman, retold and illustrated by Jessica Tamar Deutsch. In a moment of fury, a king exiles his only daughter. The following morning, he is consumed with regret, only to discover the princess is nowhere to be found. The viceroy steps up to help the distraught king and embarks on a long journey to find the princess. The viceroy comes upon a castle, where he discovers the princess is captive in the Kingdom of Evil. She can only be freed if he successfully fulfills a year-long test of solitude. He fails. The princess is moved to another castle, and the viceroy resumes his quest. He encounters friendly bear giants and wind-keepers and asks for their help. Ultimately, the viceroy rescues the princess, but how that occurs is not revealed in the s

A Walk in the Woods by Chani Altein, illustrated by Miri Rooney and Marc Lumer Hachai Publishing, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Marcia M. Rosenthal Buy at Hachai A Walk in the Woods is the latest picture book of the Benny and Tzvi Adventures. This time, the characters are joined by Benny’s bubby as they take a walk in the woods. The woods provide an ideal setting for Bubby to explain an important Jewish concept: every creation can teach us something and thereby inspire us to do a mitzvah. She says, “Because every creation that’s under the sun/Has something important to teach everyone.” This lesson is repeated each time the boys make a discovery: a school of fish; a forest of trees; a deer; and a stream. Each of these is an example of a creation and therefore presents an opportunity to do a mitzvah or a good deed. But how can the boys know where the mitzvah is within each discovery? With Bubbie’s guidance, Benny and Tzvi figure it out together. What is particularly impressive