The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Afikotective written and illustrated by Amalia Hoffman Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2024 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Eva L. Weiss Buy at Bookshop.org In Afikotective , the cub in a family of bears reveals his invention for finding the afikomen, the Passover matzah that is traditionally hidden by a family member and, if not discovered, is redeemed with a gift so that it can serve as the dessert for the seder. In this first-person tale, the cub, who tells his story in the first person, enlists his toy elephant as the afikomen detective, or Afiko-sniffer, since elephants are known for their acute sense of smell. This simple story is lightheartedly told with cut-paper illustrations in opalescent colors that are pleasing to the eye. The toy elephant's search uncovers seder foods, from apples to eggs and bitter herbs, but the afikomen remains elusive until the final plot twist. The scents are not described, and we may be meant to overlook that neither ma

Hanukkah Nights written and illustrated by Amalia Hoffman Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker Buy at Bookshop.org This is an unusual Hanukkah board book. It is mostly visual, with intriguing, colorful designs on black pages that let a child’s imagination wander freely. On the left side of each spread we see a different artistic technique (spattered paint, chalk doodles, and so on) representing a candle flame. On the right we see the candles topped with these unique flames. The nights are counted from one to eight with a simple two-line rhyme for each. The book concludes by showing a menorah filled with all of the artistically lit candles, followed by a scene of the child artist surrounded by art supplies. Then comes a bonus for kids who love to create: instructions on how to reproduce each of the freestyle flame designs in the book with paint, pencils, chalk, and household items like an eyedropper, a plastic

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