The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Challah for Shabbat Tonight by Sara Holly Ackerman, illustrated by Alona Millgram Algonquin Young Readers (imprint of Workman Publishing), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Dena Bach Buy at Bookshop.org A warm connection between a girl and her grandmother is revealed, as they bake challah together and prepare for a diverse gathering of Shabbat dinner guests. Using simple rhymes and action words, the lively activities of the girl and her grandmother are mirrored in the dynamic movement of Alona Millgrim's illustrations, skillfully propelling the reader from one page to the next. The retro colors and details of the illustrations give the story an old-timey yet timeless feel. The action is enhanced by the addition of an equally lively cat and bird, that the child reader can follow through the pages. In this portrayal of the preparation and rituals for a Shabbat meal, Jewish content is central to the narrative, and works well across the wide spectrum of Jewish observance. The illu...

Robot Shabbat by Laura Gehl, illustrated by Dave Williams Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House Publishers), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Kathryn Hall Buy at Bookshop.org This short picture book is about a young girl who, from the illustrations, appears to be white and to live on another planet. She builds a robot, prepares for Shabbat, and celebrates with the help of the robot, her parents, and a cat. No other humans or other living creatures are seen, but there are flowers which seem non-terrestrial. The simple repeating rhymes tell some of the story, but much of the message is carried by the cheerful child-friendly art, which show futuristic colorful clothing (think Star Trek), long sleeves and pants, and a father in a kippah. There is a touch of whimsy when the robot lights the Shabbat candles with its finger. This book is suitable for very young children. The book includes a brief afterward about Shabbat, and the story does a nice job of carrying the idea of...

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...

Shabbat Shalom, Grover! by Joni Kibort Sussman, illustrated by Tom Leigh Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Julie Ditton Buy at Bookshop.org Shabbat Shalom, Grover is the perfect first Shabbat book for a Jewish toddler. Kar-ben has published a whole series of board books based on the Shalom Sesame TV show, which was an English version of the Israeli Sesame Street. Each book in the series includes the key elements for a Jewish holiday that are important to the little ones. This sturdy board book shows Grover and his mom preparing for and celebrating Shabbat with friends.  First there are pictures of the preparations: they clean the house, bake challah, and then set the table. We then have pictures of them celebrating Shabbat. These colorful illustrations include lighting the candles and saying the Kiddush and Hamotzi before sitting down to a Shabbat dinner. The text is short and sweet, perfect for a board book. Children w...

  Rising by Sidura Ludwig, illustrated by Sophia Vincent Guy Candlewick Press, 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili   Buy at Bookshop.org Replete with similes, metaphors, one-word line breaks, and beautiful imagery, Sidura Ludwig's Rising is picture book poetry at its finest. Told in the first person from the perspective of the child narrator, the reader is invited along as she bakes challah with Ima (who is expecting). Shabbat dinner is held in a beautiful outdoor setting in the backyard, complete with guests. The story ends on a joyful note with newborn baby in Ima's arms and the protagonist handing the challah bowl to Abba who is donning the apron. Complementing the flowing text, Sophia Vincent Guy's gorgeous illustrations are warm and soft, evoking in each spread the calming feeling that Shabbat brings into a home. Back matter includes a glossary of eight Hebrew words; kudos for the accurate definition of Shabbat in terms of when it...

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...

  This Is My Shabbat by Chris Barash, illustrated by Aviel Basil Green Bean Books, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Shirley Vernick Buy at Bookshop.org This warmhearted picture book follows a boy and his family on a Saturday as they celebrate Shabbat together–synagogue services, a picnic with extended family, and an impromptu meetup with neighbors. The boy, who happens to be blind, experiences the Sabbath using his other senses, especially hearing. (The text never says that the child is blind, but the outdoor scenes show him using a white cane and wearing sunglasses.) The story ends with the family drifting off to sleep in anticipation of Havdalah, making it a great choice for bedtime reading. The repeated refrain, "This is my Shabbat" adds a lullaby-like quality to the tale. The story is written in both printed text and Braille. The illustrations' bright color palette and detailed panoramas will absorb readers and amplify the joyful atmosphere surrounding Shabb...

Miryam's Dance by Kerry Olitzky and Rachel Stock Spilker, illustrated by John Baptist Tumuhaise Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Cindy Rivka Marshall Buy at Bookshop.org Miryam wakes to the sound of drums and is lured to the place where musicians and dancers are practicing. Along the way, her family and friends remind her to do tasks to prepare for Shabbat, and they sigh when she is forgetful. Clearly this is not the first time Miryam has been distracted. She is invited to perform with the dancers that evening. As Miryam twirls, skips and cartwheels, the lively prose and dynamic illustrations propel the reader from page to page, caught up in her exuberance. At first her family is hesitant about dancing, but Miryam encourages them to experience a new, joyful way to celebrate Shabbat. The Ugandan character, Miryam, echoes the Miriam in the Exodus story, with her love of drums and dance, and her role of leading her community ...

Counting on Shabbat by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Petronela Dostalova Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Belinda Brock Buy at Bookshop.org Shabbat is coming and everyone is getting ready to celebrate. It appears that a senior will be observing the holiday alone (albeit with his well-loved cats). But a family joins him, bringing food and smiles to everyone’s faces as they gather around the Shabbat table. The story, told in gentle rhyme, also introduces the youngest reader to the concept of counting. In fact, counting does double duty in this delightful board book. A toddler can practice counting from one to ten, but will also learn that we count on each other for kindness. This year has seen the release of several Jewish-themed board books and that is a good thing. In general, we need more Jewish board books, and specifically, more like this one. Somehow, the author has managed to combine the concept of counting, a positive...

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...

Challah Day! by Charlotte Offsay, illustrated by Jason Kirschner Holiday House, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Linda Marshall   Buy at Bookshop.org In this warm, rollicky kitchen adventure, a family (including the dog and rambunctious baby) prepares to welcome Shabbat by making home-made challah for Friday night dinner. In bouncing, rhyming language that begs to be read aloud again and again and again, the steps of challah-making are described. Hilarious illustrations by Jason Kirschner depict the joy of family baking and add to the humor. The rhymes bounce, the story is told, the table is spread. The reader is in for a treat. Challah Day is a warm, humorous, and accurate representation of an Ashkenazic Jewish family as they make the traditional challah bread in preparation for Shabbat. The story's emphasis on creating a Jewish home shines at the end of the story when older guests (presumably grandparents) arrive to join in welcoming Shabbat. Back matter includes an eas...

Daddy, Can You Make Me Tall? by Rona Milch Novick, PhD, illustrated by Ana Sebastián Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Shanna Silva Buy at Bookshop.org Daddy, Can You Make Me Tall? centers around a child preparing for Shabbat and needing help with various tasks. In each scenario, one of his parents shows him how to complete the task on his own, thus fostering his independence. There’s a message here for both parents and children. Parents are gently reminded to show kids how to do things for themselves. Children learn that a feeling of accomplishment is its own reward. An author’s note delves further into the psychological components. All readers will see that preparing for Shabbat is a family affair that everyone can participate in and enjoy together. The illustrations by Sebastián are a treasure! Pages contains delightful little nuggets of children’s toys, a warm home, and a precious dog. Each subsequent revisiting will reveal...

The Porridge-Pot Goblin by Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Hector Borlasca Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Leah Cypess Buy at Bookshop.org The Porridge-Pot Goblin is a charming picture book in which an invisible goblin disrupts the Shabbat preparations of two village children. After several mishaps and some chaos, the children outsmart the goblin and save the Shabbat meal (and their mother’s nap). The story focuses on Shabbat preparations, and the chaos of the goblin’s mischief is contrasted to the peace and happiness of the Friday night meal, in a way that makes the atmosphere of Shabbat feel almost tangible. The well-written text and delightful illustrations work together to bring this fun, humorous story to life. It should be a strong contender for the Sydney Taylor Book Award. Illustration Editor  Dena Bach  adds: The illustrator sets the story in a shtetl-like village with lively, off-kilter images reminisc...

Help-a-Lot Shabbat written and illustrated by Nancy Cote Kar-Ben Publishing, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Mirele Kessous Buy at Bookshop.org It’s a fairly common occurrence to find board books that are too advanced for actual babies. Either the text is too dense or the illustrations are too complicated. This is why Help-a-lot Shabbat is so delightful; it is the perfect read-aloud for children ages 0-3. There are charming, simple rhymes with charming, simple illustrations. Readers follow along as a pair of toddlers help their parents prepare for Shabbat–from shopping and cooking to cleaning and setting the table. Adorable animal friends make appearances on most pages, adding to the playful nature of the story. The friends and neighbors who come for Shabbat dinner are an especially diverse crew, including people who appear to be of African, Asian, and Indian descent. There even appears to be (possibly) a gay couple, which is a rare for Jewish picture books. So if you’re looking...

Bubbie & Rivka's Best-Ever Challah (So Far!) written and illustrated by Sarah Lynne Reul Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili   Buy at Bookshop.org Anyone who has ever attempted to bake home-made challah and received undesirable results, will appreciate and relate to author / illustrator Sarah Lynne Reul’s latest title, Bubbie & Rivka’s Best-Ever Challah (So Far!) . Bubbie is “not the cooking kind of Bubbie . . . she’s more of a get-takeout-or-microwave-something kind of Bubbie” but she and her granddaughter Rivka join forces to establish a “new tradition to make challah every Friday.” The humorous, expressive illustrations are warm with a traditional feel to them, striking a complimentary balance to Rivka’s modern Bubbie. Readers will root for them to succeed, especially as they demonstrate a "growth mindset" and transform into superheroes determined to make the perfect challah. A detailed challah...

A Whale of a Tale: A Sabbath Summer Solstice Story by Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky, illustrated by Krystyna Nowak Relevant Publishers, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Laurie Adler Buy at Bookshop.org When Tova travels to Alaska with her mother during the summer solstice, she wonders how they will know when the Sabbath ends in a land where the sun never sets. She asks native Alaskan animals one by one for a solution but none can help. Finally, a wise orca explains how the position of the sun tells us when the day is over, and reminds Tova of the magic of the Sabbath day. The illustrations are vividly colored and mostly realistic, but are sometimes blurry and unformed. Preschoolers will enjoy hearing Tova consult each native animal, but those same young readers may find the explanation of the sun's positioning and the summer solstice confusing. A Whale of a Tale would be a fine supplement to a Jewish school or synagogue library paired with another nonfiction book that expla...

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...

Shoshi's Shabbat by Caryn Yacowitz, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes Candlewick Press, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Jacqueline Jules Buy at Bookshop.org Six days a week, Shoshi, a little ox, helps Farmer Simon plows his fields. On the Sabbath, she enjoys relaxing and playing with Simon’s grandchildren. Life is pleasant until Farmer Simon feels “the weight of his years” and sells Shoshi to his neighbor, Yohanan. When Shoshi’s new owner expects her to work seven days a week, she plants “her four feet on the ground” and firmly refuses. Yohanan is mystified until he considers how his neighbor Simon enjoys a day of rest with his family each week. Does the little ox understand the importance of Shabbat? Is she trying to teach him something? Shoshi’s Shabbat celebrates the beauty of observing the Sabbath with lyrical language and delightful illustrations. Young readers will fall in love with this adorable little ox who defies her new owner with humorous facial expressions. An author’...

Bubbe and Bart's Matzoh Ball Mayhem by Bonnie Grubman, illustrated by Deborah Melmon Intergalactic Afikomen Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Lila Spitz  Buy at Bookshop.org In this playful and entertaining book, chaos ensues when Bubbe and her Jewish puppy Bart cook matzoh ball soup for Shabbat dinner. As the matzoh balls bubble out of the pot, Bart playfully catches them in order from one to seven. Grubman’s use of rhyming couplets, figurative language, and clever word choices create an educational and lively story for young readers. The projectile matzoh balls in the book serve multiple purposes; to teach readers to count and to keep intended readers engaged with the story. The cartoon-like illustrations convey a welcoming and playful environment familiar to young readers. The characters featured in the story are diverse in age and country of origin. School-aged children, parents and a grandparent are represented in the story. The book incorporates characters with diverse skin ...

The Peddler and the Baker by Yael Molchadsky, illustrated by Liora Grossman Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Sandy Wasserman Buy at Bookshop.org Beautiful book with a powerful message, with the text and illustrations flowing along like instruments in a concert, each enhancing the other. 'The best things in life are free,' words often said, though in this book this message leaps out to both the poor skinny peddler and the stout baker. The message comes through clearly to the reader as it does to the children who peer and eavesdrop from the staircase in the wise rabbi's house as he gives his decree on the situation presented to him: Do we need to pay for what our senses offer up to us in this world, including the wafting aroma of freshly baking bread? A book to read over and over to remind us of all that we can enjoy in life that is free in the world. The illustrations in this book take us a journey all on their own, with glorious endpapers of baking tools. A tale of simple...