Review: Peek-A-Boo Passover

Peek-A-Boo Passover 

by Pamela Mayer, illustrated by Viviana Garofoli

Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2022

Cateogry: Picture Books

Reviewer: Mirele Kessous

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Peek-A-Boo Passover by Pamela Meyer and illustrated by Viviana Garofoli is a very simple board book about Passover for the youngest readers. It introduces the holiday through the sights, sounds, and tastes that a young child experiences in his house. There are some Hebrew terms ("Haggadah"), but other holiday items ("parsley") are only mentioned in English. The peek-a-boo theme would have leant itself well to a lift-the-flap format, but in this case each item is hinted at before being fully revealed by a page turn. Garofoli’s illustrations will be familiar to PJ Library readers from the [Holiday] Is Coming series – complete with the bright colors and cheerful faces. This is a good option for 0-3 year olds to learn about the holiday. All the characters are white, able-bodied, apparently Asheknazi Jews.

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Reviewer Mirele Kessous is the Assistant Library Media Specialist at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, Maryland. She is a certified librarian with a specialty in children's/young adult library services and moonlights as an illustrator. She married an Israeli and has 3 small children.