The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

The Secret Seder by Dvorah Zuckerberg, illustrated by Tamara Goldreich Menucha Publishers, 2025 Category: Early Chapter Books Reviewer: Leah Cypess   Buy at Menucha This well-written and evocative early chapter book tells the story of a secret seder in Siberia during World War II. The story seems to be based on the author’s own experiences. Despite the setting and topic, it is a gentle narrative, conveying the harsh realities of the life the main character lives but stressing the fact that she nevertheless feels safe, protected by her parents and by God. There is enough tension to keep the pages turning. Will their neighbor discover what they are doing? Will American Jews send matzah? The clear, crisp illustrations, with their expressive facial expressions and beautiful scenery, enhance and complete the story. The Jewish representation in this book is heartfelt and authentic and illuminates an important part of the Jewish historical experience. The book is about deeply religious J...

Upside-Down Summer (A Fun-to-Read Book) by Libby Herz, illustrated by Sarah Chyrek Hachai Publishing, 2024 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Rochelle Newman-Carrasco Buy at Hachai.com Upside-Down Summer is the poignant story of ten-year-old Sara and the summer that turned her family’s world upside down. In fact, it wasn’t just her family that experienced the shock of The Great Depression. Her best friend Etty would need to move away and Sara’s room would be converted to a sewing room for a woman who becomes their boarder, before becoming a true friend and a critical part of Sara’s story. The historical context gives the young reader a simple but truthful sense of what The Great Depression meant to individuals and communities, and it is very effective in building tension, grappling with loss, and zooming in on the importance of family and faith during times of crises. The simple, charming black and white illustrations and art design feels vintage and focuses on faces, relationships and ...

The One and Only by Sarah Maddali, illustrated by Marcin Piwowarski Hachai Publishing, 2024  Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Doreen Klein Robinson Buy at Hachai.com This picture book reads like a psalm, with its beautiful rhyme, and feels like a balm, with its soothing message. The repeated Hebrew phrase, Ein Od Milvado - There is nothing besides Him - introduces the reader to the concept of the Oneness of Hashem (G-d). Each spread affirms the belief that Hashem is in control of everything – and that we should be thankful when things go our way and even when they don’t – a lesson that even adult readers would benefit from. Another important idea imparted in this beautiful book is that we are all unique and created for something important. The Jewish (frum) family portrayed in this story looks Ashkenazi, with father, mother, son, and daughter characters. Some spreads show them doing secular things, such as hiking, picnicking in the rain, and swimming. Other spreads lean into their...

Aren't Sisters and Brothers Wonderful! by Shevi Morgenstern, illustrated by Valentina Jaskina  Hachai Publishing, 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Jeff Gottesfeld Buy at Hachai.com Goodness, am I the right reviewer for this book. I'm the eldest of four boys, and my youngest brother is just seven years younger than me. It's very different today in the liberal Jewish world (1.4 is the rate), but our Orthodox brethren (and all Israelis, for that matter) are still holding to big families. Thumbs up for them, and I mean it. The hero here, in an Orthodox family, is Shmuly. He's number three in a family of four, with an older brother who always beats him to the bathroom in the morning, a sister who tends to use his favorite cereal bowl, and a little sister who enjoys hiding his slippers. I relate to all of this. Shmuly is unhappy with his circumstances, but his mom -- dad isn't in this story -- relates how she too faced some of the same struggles, and that her mom ha...

The Judgement of Yoyo Gold by Isaac Blum Philomel Books (imprint of Penguin Books), 2024 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Amy Blaine Buy at Bookshop.org Have you ever read The Minister’s Black Veil by Nathanial Hawthorne? This short story came immediately to mind as I read Isaac Blum’s glowing second novel, The Judgement of Yoyo Gold . Stick with me here. In Hawthorne's story, a minister begins to wear a black veil for reasons unknown to his parishioners. Understandably, they get a little bit freaked out and suddenly it is assumed that everyone is hiding secrets and lies, changing behaviors and leading to harmful assumptions. The conclusion is “Lo, on every visage! A black veil.” Fast forward. Some time and distance from Puritanical New England, Yocheved “Yoyo” Gold is coming of age as both the daughter of a rabbi and of the age of technology. She feels that her whole life is a halacha lesson - “surplus halacha”. So when her best friend suddenly leaves for a boarding school in Las ...

Anything Is Possible by Rochel Sandman, illustrated by Chana Zakashansky-Zverev Hachai Publishing, 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck   Buy at Hachai.com Bubbe Hinda and Zayde Mendel have fled from their home. It is wartime, and all resources are in short supply. Zayde Mendel is worried that there will not be matzah for Passover, and Bubbe Hinda sets out to make it happen. She goes to the farmer, who has no extra wheat. When she sees his worn-out boots, she offers some leather for wheat. Her next stop is the leather tanner, who has no extra leather, and a leaky roof. Bubbe Hinda offers tin to fix the roof in exchange for the leather. From there, she goes to the scrap dealer. He has no extra tin, but Bubbe Hinda notices his daughter’s shawl has holes, and offers to bring wool to knit a new one. Finally, Bubbe Hinda meets an old woman with a sheep. She asks for some wool, but the old woman says she has no extra for sale. Bubbe Hinda asks if there is anything she c...

The Secret Journey by Rivkah Yudasin, illustrated by Jacky Yarhi Hachai Publishing, 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck Buy at Hachai.com Inspired by true events, The Secret Journey is the story of Reb Yitzchak Zilber and his family. In Communist Russia in 1953, it was a challenge to “live as a Torah Jew.” Reb Yitzchak is sent to a prison camp, and his family must prepare for Pesach. Mama, Sarah, and Bechik take the train to a small village, where an old man shows them the strip of land where he grows wheat for matzah. The family brings a heavy sack of flour home with them, and Mama adds it to her “stash.” She brings all the flour to a cellar, where Rabbi Sandok mixes the flour and water and Mama and Mrs. Sandok roll out the dough. Then the matzahs are put in the oven. When they are done baking, Mama loads her sled and covers them with a blanket. On her way home, she encounters two soldiers. They are suspicious about her cargo, but she says a silent prayer, and the so...

I Am a Tree: A Playful Action Rhyme by Hindy Feldman, illustrated by Patti Argoff Hachai Publishing, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz Buy at Hachai This simple board book shows an Orthodox Jewish girl and her two younger brothers, enjoying the great outdoors and enacting a fun rhyming game that represents the life cycle of a tree. On each spread, we see the natural growth from seed to tree alongside the children's movements. For instance, "I am a seed, so tiny and small" shows a variety of seeds on the left side, and the children crouched down pretending to be tiny seeds on the right. The illustrations are bright, cheerful, and outdoorsy. The children are depicted in casual Orthodox dress (with the youngest in footie pajamas), and credit is given to Hashem for helping the trees grow. This action rhyme will work well with young children and be welcome at Tu B'shvat or any time of year. Are you interested in reviewing books for The Sydney Taylor ...

Shabbos Guess Who? A Lift-the-Flap Book by Ariella Stern, illustrated by Patti Argoff Hachai Publishing, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili   Buy from Hachai Shabbos Guess Who? is the latest installment in Hachai Publishing's lift-the flap series. Through twelve rhyming riddles, the story centers around a presumably Ashkenazi Orthodox family, beginning with preparations before the onset of Shabbat, including cleaning the house and getting dressed up. It then proceeds throughout Friday night and Saturday, ending with a melaveh malkah after Havdalah at the conclusion of Shabbat. Where there are two pronunciations for a given answer, both are included, i.e. zmiros / zmirot, seudas(t) shlishis(t). The detailed cartoon illustrations are bright and colorful in keeping with the lively and joyous atmosphere of the book. Even though this is a book geared towards the youngest of readers, it contains an impressive amount of information. Little hands wil...

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...

Beneath the Stars by Rivkah Yudasin, illustrated by Jacky Yarhi Hachai Publishing, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Jeff Gottesfeld Buy at Hachai In February and March of 2003, I was in the city of Tver and the village of Vishniy Volochek, Russia, to adopt my son. I lived with a Jewish family there for a month,. I am connected to some of those folks to this day. To a person, they talked of Russian Jewish history and the dark days of official oppression. This wonderful book, ostensibly an easy-reader aimed at Orthodox Jewish kids, makes those little-known-days-to-kids-today immediate for every reader. It deserves serious Sydney Taylor Award consideration. I mean, really serious consideration. Author Rivkah Yudasin, backed by the realistic and compelling art of Jacky Yarhi, tell a story from the youth of revered rabbi Yitchak Zilber. The reader feels the threat of Stalinist denunciation as teen Zilber joins a furtive 6:00 a.m. minyan, and leins from the Torah for the first time si...

I Can Wait written & illustrated by Rikki Benenfeld Hachai, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck Buy at Hachai A brother and sister learn to wait as they go through their weekly activities. Rhyming couplets with easy words narrate the story. On Sunday, the boy wakes up early, but refrains from drumming until everyone else wakes up. The kids wait for rides to school, wait for a doctor's appointment, wait for Mommy to finish talking on the phone, wait for their father to bring their pizza order, and wait to cross the street. On Friday, the children wait for the challah dough to rise and wait for a taste of chocolate cake. Then they don their special clothes that they have waited to wear. The book ends with the ultimate wait - "For Moshiach to come quickly B'mheira, b'yomeinu!" Rikki Benefeld writes and illustrates "The Toddler Experience Series" for Hachai, and the consistent style of illustration throughout the series will be immediat...

Oh, How I Wish by Sara Blau, illustrated by Yehudit Binder Hachai, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rinat Hadad Siegel Many children can’t wait to do what they are passionate about. For some, it could be singing, others drawing, and a few are passionate about baking. In this lovely and easy-to-follow picture book, children find ways to elevate their everyday actions and hobbies into Mitzvot (good deeds).    This idea is a well-known Jewish concept that goes hand in hand with Tikkun Olam.This concept is layered on every page of this book. How can a child as an individual make a difference in this world and still be true to their passion? A child can draw for their own will and entertainment but when they draw to make a get-well card for someone who is sick, their action of drawing and what they create takes on a spiritual layer. The language is lyrical and clear, intended for a very young audience. There is a simple repetition as the reader is introduced to different exam...

Hello, Morning! by Chaya Freedman, illustrated by Dena Ackerman Hachai, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck The prayer "Modeh Ani" (I thank; I acknowledge) is the first thing that Jews say when they wake up in the morning, and this cheery book shows everyone waking up in a great mood and ready to do mitzvot. Dena Ackerman's accurate and authentic illustrations are colorful and classic for a book from an Orthodox publisher, and they set the mood well. They show a household awakening and doing morning rituals: washing negel vasser and putting on tzitzit. There are birds and animals ready to greet the morning in their own way, too. For the most part, the simple rhymes work well (though "Now to Hashem I will say 'Thank You!'" is a little awkward) and include a transliteration of the Hebrew. A note to parents and teachers at the end explains the significance and importance of the prayer. The last page of the book includes Modeh Ani in Hebrew...

The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen by Isaac Blum Philomel (imprint of Penguin Random House), 2022 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Sarah Blattner Buy at Bookshop.org The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen opens with a flashback during the Jewish holiday of Tu B’Av, where the protagonist and narrator, Yehuda “Hoodie” Rosen proceeds to explain to the reader the first steps toward his ruination. Quickly, the reader is dropped into Hoodie’s world with long days of study at the Yeshiva. Right away, Hoodie’s sharp wit and sense of humor engages the reader, as he admires and characterizes his best friend, Moshe Tzvi, as someone who “makes you feel like an ignorant schmuck,” because of his Talmudic knowledge and acumen in text study and argumentation. While taking a walk during a break from his studies at the Yeshiva, Hoodie meets the captivating Anna-Marie Diaz-O’Leary, a gentile girl who also happens to be the mayor’s daughter. A forbidden friendship and affection ensues, where Hoodie crosses ...

Honey and Me by Meira Drazin Scholastic, 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Jacqueline Jules Buy at Bookshop.org We meet eleven-year-old Milla on a Saturday morning as she follows Honey through the men’s section of their Orthodox synagogue. The two girls are long-time friends and neighbors. Milla loves spending time at Honey’s house with her large bustling family and easy-going mother. Even though they are only a few months apart in age, Milla looks up to Honey, admiring her social skills, even with adults. In the opening scene, Milla reflects that she would never have the chutzpah to ask an adult for what she wants the way Honey does. Later in the story, Milla compares her own outlook to Honey’s: “where I see roadblocks, she see different routes, or that a roadblock might really only be those orange traffic cones that can simply be picked up and moved away.” Milla’s reluctance to assert herself is an important part of this friendship story. Milla worries that she is like the willow...

Sukkos Guess Who? by Ariella Stern, illustrated by Patti Argoff Hachai Publishing, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Judith S. Greenblatt Buy at Hachai.com Sukkos Guess Who? is a rhyming story that poses questions, with answers hidden under flaps. The rhymes are short, generally in language that is well within the comprehension of the picture book crowd. Children will enjoy the game of being asked a question, and finding the answer under the flap. The holiday is thoroughly explored, including aspects that are less familiar to many, such as Chol HaMoed (the intermediate days of the week-long holiday), and Simchas(t) beis(t) HaSho'eiva, the modern celebration commemorating an ancient ritual at the Temple in Jerusalem. Descriptions of such activities are difficult to find in children's books, so are a welcome addition here. Hebrew and Yiddish terms are included in the text, and will be familiar to the target audience of Orthodox readers. Most terms are translated on the pa...

Aviva vs. the Dybbuk by Mari Lowe Levine Querido, 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Leah Cypess Buy at Bookshop.org Aviva lives with her mother in the apartment above the town’s mikvah (ritual bath). Aviva’s mother never leaves the apartment, and Aviva herself leaves only to go to school, where she has no friends but is at least good at sports. At home, she does her best to care for her mother, who has sunken deeply into depression since her father died. On top of all that, she has to deal with an exasperating dybbuk – a sometimes friendly, sometimes vengeful spirit who delights in wreaking havoc upon Aviva’s careful, quiet life. When rivalries at school begin to spiral out of control, and vandalism of the synagogue fills the Jewish community with fear, Aviva may be the only one who can make things right. But first she will have to face some hard truths about her present, her past, and what the dybbuk really wants. Aviva vs. the Dybbuk is a gem of a middle grade book. The fully fl...

And So Is Hashem by Aura Dweck, illustrated by Gillian Flint Hachai Publishing Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck Buy at Hachai.com When we do things that make other people happy, Hashem is also happy. So when a boy's mother calls him and he stops playing to go to her, when a girl refrains from waking up her sleeping father, when a boy greets his grandmother with a hug and a snack, when children share their toys or help neighbors, all these people are happy, "and so is Hashem." The repetition works well for young readers as they learn the not-so-subtle lesson. The illustrations are cute and colorful, depicting both boys and girls. The boys and the Tatty (father) are obviously wearing kippot, while the women appear to be wearing sheitels. A very short glossary includes Hashem, Bubby, and Tatty, but it easily adapted for all Jewish audiences by using the English words while reading.    The book is based on a verse from Pirkei Avos (3:13): "He used to say...