The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

First Fruits: A Shavuot Story written & illustrated by Amalia Hoffman PJ Publishing, 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Mirele Kessous Quality books about Shavuot for young children are hard to find, but here’s a contender. This is a board book for the very very young–no older than 3. Sparse text explains that early Israelites gathered the “First Fruits” or “Bikurim” in baskets on Shavuot but does not explain why. A note at the end where provides a longer explanation for parents, that will not sustain a toddler’s attention span. The illustrations appears as though a young child has decorated the pages with cute little handprints and whimsical stick figures. Children will learn the names of the Seven Species and what they look like, although the term “Seven Species” is not used. There is also no mention of the Israelites receiving the Torah on Shavuot. Diversity takes front and center with this book, as the pictures of children depict all skin tones and abilities. Hoffman provid...

Challah! written & illustrated by Varda Livney PJ Publishing, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz Louis, a toddler bunny rabbit, utters his first word ever at Shabbat dinner. It's "challah," of course! Throughout the rest of the week, Louis proudly uses his new word to describe puffy objects from clouds to trees to sheep. When Shabbat comes around again, he surprises and delights his parents by taking one look at the challah and saying his second new word: "Shabbat!" Young children will enjoy chiming in with the "challah" refrain and identifying the various puffy objects. The reinforcement of the days of the week (Jewishly listed from one Friday to the next) is another point of educational interest for the preschool set. Gentle line drawings in pastel colors show a cheerful anthropomorphic family of blue, pink, and green rabbits. Notes on the back cover of the board book provide more information about Shabbat and challah, inclu...

Yummy Hamantaschen Text by Harold Grinspoon Foundation, illustrated by Elena Resko PJ Publishing, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz This is a very brief interactive board book that will familiarize babies and toddlers with the Purim treat, hamantaschen. The text addresses the audience directly, inviting them to pat, scoop, and fold to form the traditional three-cornered pastry. Die cut pages and fold-lines bring realism to the hamantaschen. This is the sort of book that will seem like a magic trick to very young children. The illustrations feature plump, inviting hamantaschen on boldly colored pages. A sprinkle of white makes the dough look floury. The black filling has a raised texture to evoke poppyseeds. The hamantaschen really do look yummy! A white child's hand is pictured on the cover but no other human elements appear in the imagery. Purim is never mentioned in the text, but a note for adults on the back cover explains the history of the holiday and the...

Hanukkah at Monica's  written & illustrated by Varda Livney PJ Publishing, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rinat Hadad Siegel We have all attended Hanukkah parties, but parties with an octopus, a jellyfish, and a pirate as guests are quite rare. Varda Livney has so much fun in this clever and imaginative picture book. The story begins with child-friendly illustrations where we see a cheerful dark-skinned girl, Monica, pushing a shopping cart filled with russet potatoes (the ones recommended for latkes, by the way…). We learn that Monica is having a party for Hanukkah, but not with typical guests. Each guest is a clever twist on a Hanukkah custom. The octopus and its eight arms brings the Menorah. The pirate brings in gold coins, and the jellyfish carries in jelly donuts. Livney uses repetition, allowing young readers to guess who the next guest will be, offering a hint with an illustration of the guest's shadow on the door. The climax of the story relates to the Hanu...

Hi, Hello, Welcome by Chris Barash, illustrated by Rosie Butcher PJ Publishing, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Suzanne Grossman Buy at Amazon.com A child who uses a wheelchair warmly welcomes three adorable animal guests into his home, practicing the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim or welcoming guests (although this Hebrew term is included in the notes rather than the story itself). With each knock at the door, the reader opens a flap to reveal the next guest. When all are assembled, they share a yummy tea party.   The lively rhyming story and bright vibrant pictures are perfect for encouraging cozy conversation. The child in the wheelchair with the rainbow patterned sweater lends a nice touch of understated diverse representation. The notes include a link to pjlibrary.org/hihellowelcome for related activities. This lift-the-flap board book meets all the requirements for consideration for the Sydney Taylor Book Award. The engaging artwork and bouncing text are perfect for ou...

Jonah by Tammar Stein, illustrated by Sabina Hahn PJ Publishing, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Dena Bach Buy at Amazon.com In time for Yom Kippur and its focus on atonement, PJLibrary presents this early chapter book about responsibilities, repentance, and second chances. Based on the Bibical Book of Jonah, read in the synagogue on Yom Kippur afternoon, the narrative tackles the tough subject of the consequences of our actions and our obligations to make the world a better place. Author Tammar Stein begins Jonah’s story in his “classroom” under a tree, grounding the narrative in the child’s world. There Jonah teaches his students about making good choices in their treatment of others. Because of these teachings, God picks Jonah as the best messenger to convince the people of the city of Nineveh to repent their wicked actions. The narrative shows that even a great teacher like Jonah can make wrong choices. When Jonah runs away from his task and is swallowed by the whale, and la...

Until the Blueberries Grow by Jennifer Wolf Kam, illustrated by Sally Walker PJ Publishing, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Shanna Silva The reader is introduced to Ben and his Zayde, who are best buds. They spend a lot of time together and Zayde appears to be Ben’s primary male role model (the illustrations feature a mom and younger sibling, but no dad). When it’s time for Zayde to downsize and move, Ben is unable to accept this change. He convinces Zayde to delay his plans multiple times. A "for sale" sign subtly shows the reader the status of the move. During the postponement, Ben and Zayde celebrate Sukkot, Hanukkah, and Passover. Interestingly, the larger family is not shown celebrating holidays or spending time together. It’s all about Ben and his smartly dressed Zayde. As time passes, it’s clear that Zayde can’t defer any longer. An ominous illustration of a steep staircase shows the reader what Zayde sees, and how his needs have changed with age. Eventually, he...

How to Get to Savta's for Shabbat written and illustrated by Varda Livney PJ Publishing, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Belinda Brock It's Erev Shabbat and time for the little boy in this story to get up and prepare for Shabbat at Savta's. Who wakes him up? His penguin friend! So the reader immediately knows this story will be fanciful. Next, the boy packs his backpack with things that help make Shabbat special, like candles, challah, and  grape juice. Fred, the blue elephant, picks them up and off they go on their fun adventure. They travel through the jungle and then the boy and the penguin board a rocket ship to the moon, float on a cloud, and ride a flying bus to reach their destination. Along the way, the boy stops to buy flowers for Savta. Happily, they arrive at Savta's just in time for Shabbat. The final scene shows Savta, the boy, his parents (who look like the bus driver and flower seller), the penguin, and the elephant happily sitting at the Shabbat t...

Detour Ahead by Pamela Ehrenberg & Tracy López, illustrated by Laila Ekboir PJ Publishing, 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Judith S. Greenblatt “Someone fell off a bike,” yells Gila. Thus starts the friendship between Gila and Guillermo, each different and extraordinary. We have been inside Gila’s head, so we know her approach to the world is not the usual; she is on the autism spectrum. Guillermo, we find out, has recently moved to Washington D.C. from rural Virginia: his family is from El Salvador. This coming of age story focuses on Gila’s bat mitzvah and Guillermo’s poetry. Gila sees her bat mitzvah as marking the beginning of adulthood, and to achieve greater maturity she needs to be able to handle detours. Guillermo needs to find his identity in a new place, to acknowledge how important writing poetry is, and to overcome his fear of exposing his poetry and his vulnerability in public. Both Gila and Guillermo are well-rounded characters. The point of view of the story mo...

My Hands Make the World written and illustrated by Amalia Hoffman PJ Publishing, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Dena Bach There are many, many books that depict the creation story that begins the Torah, the first chapter of Bereshit, the Book of Genesis. Yet the approach of this board book is a novel one. Board books often use simple drawings to explain simple concepts, yet this book aims to do more. The deceptively simple narrative and artwork here tell more than just the story of Genesis, they tell about creation and about creating, reaching children at their level, in a child-friendly and inspiring way. As Hoffman explains in the endnotes, everyone, including children, are created “B’tzelem Elokim” in the divine image. Therefore everyone, including children, are participants in the act of creation. The medium of colorful finger painting, a common way that a young child begins to delve into art and storytelling, is an excellent choice. On every page a child’s handprint is an ...

My Hanukkah Book of Opposites by Tammar Stein, illustrated by Juliana Perdomo PJ Publishing Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz Buy on Amazon.com The cover of this board book, with its juxtaposition of warm and cool colors in a symmetrical design, immediately presents a feeling of balance. It also offers a conversation starter: adults can ask children to look for opposites such as tall/short and lit/unlit candles, as well as birds facing to the right or left, priming them for the theme before even opening the book. Within, six pairs of opposites manage to create a narrative, tying together the arrival of guests through the celebration of Hanukkah up until bedtime. The text makes sense chronologically: the people are cold until they go indoors and then they are warm; a platter of latkes is full until they are eaten up and then the platter is empty. Stylish, rounded illustrations depict a diverse gathering of family and friends with a variety of skin tones. Men and boys we...