The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

My Seder Plate: A Passover Book by Kristen Weber, illustrated by Yaara Cellier Clarion Books (imprint of HarperCollins), 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Lila Spitz   Buy at Bookshop.org   This Seder plate shaped board book for babies and toddlers educates young readers about the Jewish holiday of Passover. Every page features English and Hebrew names of foods on the Seder plate and an explanation on how the shape, color, and characteristics of each food symbolize specific events in the Passover story. The book begins with an empty Seder plate on the left-hand side of the page, however, as each successive page is turned, another food is added to the plate so that by the end of the story all seven foods on the Seder plate are present. The right-pages feature cartoon illustrations of a multigenerational redheaded Jewish family enjoying cooking, talking and preparing for the Passover Seder meal together. My Seder Plate accurately describes each item on the Seder plate and e...

Matzah Day! by Charlotte Offsay, illustrated by Jason Kirschner Holiday House, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Elizabeth Suneby   Buy at Bookshop.org This upbeat picture book celebrates the many, many ways matzah can be enjoyed, and is sure to get young children excited about Passover and eating matzah. The happy rhyming text and energetic colorful illustrations infuse a rather "dry" (pun intended) subject with joy. Even before the story begins, the wordless mosaic of matzah squares with the family's faces sets a welcoming tone. The book offers an authentic representation of Passover and Judaism on many levels, even alluding to the potential drawbacks of eating matzah: crumbs and constipation! On a more serious note, the child-friendly nonfiction back matter is written for children, but is great for grown-ups who would like a holiday primer. And the back matter offers recipes for matzah and for a sweet and a savory matzah dish.  Editor's Note: This book was in...

Ellis Island Passover written and illustrated by Marissa Moss Creston Books, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Suzanne Grossman   Buy at Bookshop.org   Great-Uncle Ezra arrives just in time to cheer up a grumpy little girl as her family prepares for Passover. Based on Marissa Moss’ family memoir, Uncle Ezra shares the extraordinary true tale of how he traveled alone when he was 9 years old, first across Europe, then by ship, escaping violent antisemitism. When he arrived at Ellis Island his older brother was not there as expected to sponsor his entry to America. He was well cared for on the island but if his brother coudn’t be found by week’s end then he would be sent back to Europe. During this time he helped create and celebrate a seder for the other Jewish refugees. Without a Haggadah they told the Exodus story from a Hebrew bible, without matzoh they substituted crackers. But the participants all felt they were sharing their own personal Exodus from oppression to free...

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...

The Curious Case of the Pot Roast: A Passover Mystery by Jamie Kiffel-Alcheh, illustrated by Menahem Halberstadt Green Bean Books, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Eva Weiss   Buy at Bookshop.org The spirited young hero of this picture book brings to life the antic legend of a custom born of misinterpretation. On Passover Eve, an inquisitive boy (whose name we never learn) asks his mother why she cuts off the ends of her pot roast before cooking it. To decipher the family tradition, the child is directed first to his grandmother, and then to his great-grandmother, who reveals that the custom originated with a pot that was too small for the roast. The story is told in the first-person voice of the engaging and precocious hero, who also states its moral: "Even old recipes can have new questions." Along the way, the young hero asks many more questions about the ways of the world, as he skips up the stairs. He wants to know everything from who invented spoons to whether an...

My Matzah written & illustrated by Ann Diament Koffsky Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Rebecca Greer   Buy at Bookshop.org   This simplistic board book focuses on a young koala bear trying to find the hidden matzah, also referred to as the “afikoman”. He looks high and low throughout the house as an older male koala looks on. It is only when the pair search together that it is found and can be eaten. At the end is a brief note that the afikoman is hidden during Passover and must be searched for. The question is also posed to the reader “where would you choose to hide it?” which sets up a discussion after the book is done. Clever artwork shows the fun and joy of searching for the matzah, especially once it’s found and can be eaten, through the use of onomatopoeia words “munch” and “crunch”. The story is extremely brief, with a focus on the artwork, giving a glimpse into a Passover seder. A quick and cute read for you...

  One, Two, Three, Passover! by Naomi Shulman, illustrated by Nora Hilb PJ Publishing, 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Ann Koffsky   Buy at Amazon.com Like all successful board books aimed at the youngest readers, One, Two, Three, Passover is deceptively simple. It’s main character of a young girl takes the reader through the highlights of the Passover holiday, starting with preparation, then through the seder meal. At each stage, the refrain of “one Two three!” is repeated, and is used to count three matzahs, three haggaddahs, and three claps along to dayenu and more. Throughout, our protagonist is accompanying by her adorable and fluffy dog, and through the illustrations we get to meet her grandparents and multi-racial friends, too. The words of the book are very well structured, and target the age group well. Sentences are simple, and the concept of 1,2,3 is right on point, and exactly what readers this age are learning. The illustrations are also very cleve and add l...

Happy Passover, Edie Rose! by Joy Preble, illustrated by Valeria Cis Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2025 Category: Picture Books  Reviewer: Julie Ditton   Buy at Bookshop.org   Why is this Passover book different from all other Passover books? Most other Passover picture books tell the biblical Passover story or tell a tale of a typical seder. This one is a bit different. Mia and everyone else loves going to Edie Rose's apartment for the Passover seder. Edie always prepares everything, and guests are told "just bring yourself". Edie makes everything fun, with paper frogs that kids have colored, and everyone participating and imagining that they are marching together to escape Egypt. Edie is quite the character, and regales Mia with the stories of all her travels. She has given Mia a map of the world to mark her own travels, stating that "You never know what journey might call your name." When Edie is injured right before Passover, Mia r...

The Night Before Passover (The Night Before series) by Natasha Wing, illustrated by Nathalie Beauvois Grosset & Dunlap (imprint of Penguin Random House), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz Buy at Bookshop.org Author Natasha Wing has parodied The Night Before Christmas with 40+ titles in her "The Night Before" series. The Night Before Passover is her second Jewish entry, following The Night Before Hanukkah (2014). Some Jewish readers may find the juxtaposition of Passover with a famous Christmas poem amusing, while others may find it discomfiting. That said, it's always appreciated to find Jewish titles incorporated into a non-Jewish book series. The text follows the pattern of couplets from Clement Clark Moore's original poem, but unfortunately, the meter is uneven and awkward. Forced into the rhyme scheme, concepts lose their meaning, as in this passage: "We sing psalms, recite blessings, / I sip grape juice from my cup. / I already fi...

Where Is Poppy? by Caroline Kusin Pritchard, illustrated by Dana Wulfkotte Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Jeff Gottesfeld Buy at Bookshop.org A young girl attends the first Passover seder after the death of her beloved Poppy. So much is familiar -- "the same chasing cousins, the same squishy seats" -- but her Poppy has clearly passed away. It's hard for the young heroine emotionally, not to have this man leading the seder and influencing her life, with everything from his secret ingredient for pumping up the chicken soup to his pithy life advice when the girl would sit on his lap. Finally, though, as the adults tell her that Poppy is here, the heroine understands that Poppy lives in in their singing, Passover traditions like an orange on the seder plate, and the over-enthusiastic singing of Dayenu. Pritchard has crafted a touching story, with simple, appropriate, and equally touching art from Wulfkotte. I especially like...

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...

Workitu's Passover by Zahava Workitu Goshen & Maayan Ben Hagai, illustrated by Eden Spivak, translated by Jessica Bonn Green Bean Books, 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker Buy at Bookshop.org In this charming and lovingly illustrated tale of a Jewish Ethiopian family, a young girl, Workitu, learns about her family’s Passover custom of breaking their dishes to be certain every trace of chametz is destroyed. Workitu cherishes certain pieces of the family pottery and can’t understand why the beautiful, graceful vessels should be shattered each year and then ground into powder. Nevertheless, Workitu follows her mother’s instructions, and along with her little sister Almaz, carries the pottery to her nearby Auntie Balainesh’s where the shattering and grinding is to be done. Auntie Balainesh patiently explains that the old must make room for the new, and Workitu allows Auntie to teach her to mix the powder from the broken vessels with clay, to knead it and creat...

Everybody's Book: The Story of the Sarajevo Haggadah by Linda Leopold Strauss, illustrated by Tim Smart Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rinat Hadad Siegel Buy at Bookshop.org In the recent hard times the Jewish community has experienced worldwide, a book like The Story of the Sarajevo Haggadah helped me find seeds of light and comfort. Sometimes, when we look for a book for young readers that captures the Jewish experience in a way that conveys the complexity of being a Jew, we are unsure where to turn. This book artfully does just that.  Linda Leopold Strauss found a true story that combines history, perseverance, comradeship, bravery, and, most importantly, humanity and hope. The story follows the path of a hand-painted, hand-lettered Haggadah. The book opens in 1995 in Bosnia and then jumps back to 14th-century Spain, when a Jewish couple gets married and is gifted that Haggadah. The first danger the Haggadah encoun...

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...

Afikoman, Where'd You Go? A Passover Hide-and-Seek Adventure by Rebecca Gardyn Levington, illustrated by Noa Kelner Rocky Pond Books (imprint of Penguin Random House), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili   Buy at Bookshop.org Beginning at the point in the seder in which children search for the afikoman, this story takes young readers along with a diverse cast of cousins as they go through every room in the house and outdoors in an attempt to find the runaway afikoman. I appreciated that even though the target audience is young, the author's rhyming upbeat verses use an advanced vocabulary (determined, dismantle, investigate, befuddled, and bewildered, to name just a few choice words). The illustrations are both colorful and interesting as they are drawn from different angles and perspectives. I especially enjoyed the one showing the cut-out of the whole house with the interiors of each room. Readers who have experienced a seder, or have le...

Frankenstein's Matzah, A Passover Parody by K. Marcus, illustrated by Sam Loman Intergalactic Afikomen, 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker Buy at Bookshop.org Frankenstein’s Matzah is a wacky, entertaining, very colorful graphic picture book. It combines diversity (a non-binary main character) with a Jewish holiday (a Passover seder), STEM (science experiments and back matter about the scientific method), Yiddish puns, and some moral questions for main character, Vee. Vee is the great, great, great descendant of Victor Frankenstein of monster fame. Vee aspires to be the greatest scientist of all time (not surprising considering their heritage) by bringing a piece of matzah to life, which they then plan to enter in the school’s science fair. They succeed. Manny the manztah (matzah + monster) escapes from the basement and, to Vee’s dismay, makes a surprise appearance at the family seder. Manny pleads with Vee’s astonished parents, “People, let me go.” At first ...

Benjy's Messy Room by Barbara Diamond Goldin, illustrated by Rita Tan Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Jacqueline Jules Buy at Bookshop.org Benjy is a pack rat and his bedroom is littered with toys. This is not a good combination the day before Passover. His big sister, Naomi, warns him that their parents expect a clean room before the Passover hunt for breadcrumbs that night. Hoping for the fun of last year, when he was allowed to lead the hametz hunt with a candle, Benjy decides to tackle the big job of cleaning his room. When his little sister, Shira, interrupts his resolve with a plea to play, Benjy comes up with a game to practice for the hametz hunt. He hides balls of paper around his room for Shira to find. In the process, big brother and little sister clean up a messy bedroom just before dark. With colorful, expressive illustrations, Benjy’s Messy Room is a joyous story of preparing for Passover. Benjy teaches his ...

Matzah Man to the Rescue! by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Charlie Fowkes Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Julie Ditton Buy at Bookshop.org “Never Fear, Matzah Man is here.” Eric Kimmel is one of the most prolific picture book authors around. With over 150 books to his credit, he has been delighting children for fifty years. Many of his books about Jewish holidays or topics, but most are folktale retellings. Now we have something completely different. Instead of a folktale, he has spun a modern Passover story based on pop culture superheroes. Kids might recognize Superman or Batman, but older family members will recognize Underdog as well. This wacky book has Matzah Man flying around the world to help save three different seders with missing symbols. Along the way, readers will learn about vegetarian alternatives to the shank bone, varieties of matzah, and the differences between Ashkenazi and Sephardic charoset. Matzah Man co...

On All Other Nights: A Passover Celebration in 14 Stories edited by Chris Baron, Joshua S. Levy, & Naomi Milliner Amulet Books (imprint of Abrams), 2024 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Lisa Trank Buy at Bookshop.org On All Other Nights: A Celebration of Passover in 14 Stories is exactly that - celebration of the many ways we celebrate, challenge, question, and find humor and deeper meanings in our shared traditions. The stories are organized as if we are sitting around the same Passover table (if only!), with each story representing a step of the seder and offering a brief lesson, as well as asking thought-provoking questions. I can imagine families supplementing (or even replacing) their Haggadot with this special collection. I know our family will. Written by a remarkable line-up of contemporary Jewish children's literature luminaries, each story presents a unique aspect about Passover. The entries are diverse, surprising, and universal. To name only a few of the gems - Mar...

Tyrannosaurs Tsuris: A Passover Story by Susan Tarcov, illustrated by Elissambura Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Claire Freeland Buy at Bookshop.org Susan Tarcov and Elissambura team up in this delightful Passover story set among the dinosaurs. All the dinosaurs are preparing their Passover seders, each one confronting tsuris, a Yiddush word for trouble. But no one’s tsuris is as great as that of Tyrannosaurus. None of the dinosaurs wants to come to his seder because they are afraid of him. At the end, the dinosaur community decides that together they are safe around Tyrannosaurus. They each solve their own sources of tsuris by pooling their resources for one grand seder. In so doing, they help Tyrannosaurus fulfill the mitzvah of having guests at the seder. A brief author's note reviews the basics of Passover.  The story does a wonderful job of defining tsuris, giving multiple examples. It recounts preparations for...