The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

The Very Best Sukkah: A Story from Uganda by Shoshana Nambi, illustrated by Moran Yogev Kalaniot Books, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Suzanne Grossman Buy at Bookshop.org Sukkot is coming to the small Ugandan Abayudaya Jewish community. We share the fun with super competitive Shoshi and her two brothers as they build their own sukkah, hoping theirs wins the annual village competition. The vibrant linoleum cut artwork brings the reader right into life in the village, showing us the natural environment and day to day lives of the people. When a wild storm comes through the night before Sukkot, it damages all the huts, totally destroying the challenging front runner’s sukkah. The whole village rallies, helping to rebuild this one, which wins the contest. But Shoshi doesn’t mind, her competitive streak has mellowed as she learns, “Everyone wins when neighbors work together”. Generous backmatter includes a history of the Abayudaya Jewish community, a glossary of Luganda words used ...

Maybe It Happened This Way: Bible Stories Reimagined by Rabbi Leah Rachel Berkowitz and Erica Wovsaniker, illustrated by Katherine Messenger  Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Jacqueline Jules   Buy at Bookshop.org Did Noah procrastinate when building the ark, hoping that the people would change their ways and there would be no need for a flood? Did Abram and Sarai break idols together? Was Moses ultimately relieved to hand over his leadership duties to Joshua? In Maybe It Happened This Way , authors Rabbi Leah Rachel Berkowitz and Erica Wovsaniker offer readers an opportunity to imagine themselves inside Biblical stories, experiencing the events. The text is poetic. When Eve bites into the forbidden apple, “the taste burst onto her tongue.” Many stories are told in first person, respecting a middle school reader’s ability to understand events through the eyes of an adult. Shifra, one of the midwives who risked her life...

How to Be a Mensch by A. Monster by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Sarah Aronson Buy at Bookshop.org In this delightful and perky picture book directed to young readers and families, the main character and narrator, A. Monster, gives readers direct advice for how to be a mensch. The humorous text speaks directly to the reader. "It's hard to believe, but some people are afraid of monsters. It's true that monsters can look scary. But most of us are kind and helpful. Monsters can even be mensches!" I love funny books! Our kids deserve to laugh—even as they grapple with challenges of the world. On each spread, readers will love the monster-specific examples (like not staring, with one eye or five) as well as general concepts, like sharing and caring and preparing for Shabbat. Yoshikawa’s illustrations amp up the humor. Young readers are going to love checking ou...

Passover, Here I Come! by D.J. Steinberg, illustrated by Emanuel Wiemans Grosset & Dunlap (imprint of Penguin Random House), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Karin Fisher-Golton Buy at Bookshop.org Passover, Here I Come! is the kind of book families will bring out each year to introduce or remind children of Passover traditions. This warm, colorful collection of short poems is the Passover addition to author D. J. Steinberg’s Here I Come! series, which includes books on starting preschool to second grade as well as books on other holidays—secular, Christian, and Jewish. Steinberg’s poems come in a variety of structures, including a poetic recipe for matzoh brei! Young readers will be engaged by the poems’ rhyme, rhythm, and humor. Topics include ways families prepare for and celebrate the holiday; child-oriented traditions (such as singing “Ma nishtana” and searching for the afikomen); and a brief version of the Exodus story. Names, vocabulary, and images depict an Ashkenazi ...

Pinky Bloom and the Case of the Silent Shofar by Judy Press, illustrated by Erica-Jane Waters Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Mozer Buy at Bookshop.org Pinky Bloom and the Case of the Silent Shofar is the second Pinky Bloom book I have reviewed for this blog, and it's just as much fun as the first. It's about a Jewish Brooklynite girl named Pinky (short for Penina) who solves crimes with the help of her little brother Ari. This series continues to be a good example of this genre, with Pinky taking on pet sitting duties, mysterious goings on at the pet shop, and her dad's inexplicably silent shofar. It would definitely be enjoyed by 6-8 year olds who enjoy mystery series such as A to Z Mysteries, Cam Jansen mysteries, or Ballpark Mysteries. This book has positive and authentic Jewish religious or cultural content and is appropriate for the intended grade level in style, vocabulary, format, and illustratio...

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...

Miriam and the Sasquatch by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Tamara Anegon Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Linda Elovitz Marshall Buy at Bookshop.org It’s early fall, and Rosh Hashanah is coming. Miriam gazes at an apple orchard, imagining a delicious honey-and-apple holiday feast. She enters the orchard, not to pick apples but to practice blowing her shofar where the sound won’t bother anyone. As she practices, she hears munching and crunching, gets bopped on the head by an apple, and discovers a sasquatch sitting in the tree, eating apples that she needs for Rosh Hashanah. She tells Sasquatch to stop, but Sassy keeps eating. She blows the shofar. Sassy howls back and keeps eating. She throws an apple. Sasquatch throws it back… and the apple hits a beehive, causing bees to swarm toward Miriam and Sasquatch. Miriam and Sassy run toward the pond for safety, but Miriam slips and falls. Sasquatch picks her up, and carries her to th...