The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

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

A Wild, Wild Hanukkah by Jo Gershman & Bob Strauss, illustrated by Jo Gershman Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker Buy at Bookshop.org This book is a lovable rhyming tale of different wild animals invading a home each night of Hanukkah. The rhymes roll off the tongue with wonderful alliteration, sure to delight children. The illustrations are mesmerizing, with large depictions of animals seemingly jumping off the page. They remind me of Maurice Sendak’s “wild things,” though Gershman uses brighter and more vibrant colors. Perhaps the authors are giving a nod to Where the Wild Things Are in their choice of book title? The illustrations also add a fun element to the narrative. Have you ever seen a tiger juggling eggs or punk-rock penguins spinning dreidels? There are pages with no text at all, perfectly appropriate where the illustrations pull the reader right into the story. The Jewish content is relate

Beni's Tiny Tales: Around the Year in Jewish Holidays written and illustrated by Jane Breskin Zalben Christy Ottaviano Books (imprint of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker Buy at Bookshop.org It’s clear from the Author’s Note that writing this latest Beni book during the pandemic was a labor of love for Jane Breskin Zalben. The first book in this series about a family of anthropomorphic Jewish bears was published 35 years ago and the last 25 years ago.  The book is not a picture book as we think of picture books today. It is reminiscent of the ‘treasuries’ that were popular a couple of generations ago, and is similar in that regard to Zalben’s Beni’s Family Treasury , a compilation of five Beni classic holiday books. This new treasury is 140 pages long, chock full of short stories (one for each of the ten included holidays), crafts, holiday music, recipes, etc. An explanation of each holiday precedes the “tiny tale.” Th

Ella KVELLephant and the Search for Bubbe's Yiddish Treasure written and illustrated by Jen Kostman Kalaniot Books (imprint of Endless Mountains Publishing), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker   But at Bookshop.org A day at the beach with Bubbe and Zayde Kvellephant turns into a treasure hunt for little Ella. When Bubbe reminisces about going to the beach with her Bubbe, she realizes that she has lost most of her Yiddish. This is good news for Ella because she loves a treasure hunt and is great at finding lost things. She reassures Bubbe that she will find her Yiddish for her and is eager to search "every sandy shore and every salty sea." After a walk on the boardwalk to get ice cream, Ella begins to build her ship of sand. Sadly, it is washed away by a giant wave. Bubbe comforts her after her water mishap, and Ella falls asleep dreaming of pirate adventures on the ocean searching for the lost language. But it is soon time to pack up and go home, and

Pirate Passover by Judy Press, illustrated by Amanda Gulliver Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker Buy at Bookshop.org A pirate crew scrubbing and polishing their ship to get ready for Passover; the pirate captain preparing a seder plate; matzoh balls rolling off the plank into the ocean! What fun this clever Passover story is, presented in perfectly rhymed couplets. When a storm strikes in the midst of the onboard seder, you can practically feel the fear of the crew as the ship rocks in the waves. The ship washes ashore, and the crew boldly invite themselves to a nearby family’s seder. The unfazed family welcomes them to join their table, and the seder begins. All the high points are there, from the Kiddush, to the four questions--as recited by the captain’s parrot--to the finding of the afikomen and singing Dayenu. The illustrations do justice to the festivities with a diverse crew of expressive pirates a

Purr-im Time! by Jenna Waldman, illustrated by Erica J. Chen Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker Buy at Bookshop.org This imaginative rhyming story of a Purim day in the life of three kittens has all the joyful elements of the holiday. From the moment the kitties wake up until they fall into bed, weary from a full day of baking hamantaschen, marching in the Purim parade, and going to the Purim carnival, they are celebrating the holiday. The megillah reading tells the story of Purim in a child-friendly way, so all can revel in the defeat of Haman and take pride in Esther’s heroism. And the dynamic movement of Erica Chen’s beautifully illustrated kitties shows them practically jumping off the page with their delight at the holiday. As a bonus, the back matter includes a mishloach manot craft idea with instructions. There is also a note to families stressing the kindness and charity that are important elements of the

Lily Blue Riding Hood: A Purim Story by Sandy Lanton, illustrated by Kim Barnes Intergalactic Afikomen, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker Buy at Bookshop.org Lily Blue Riding Hood is pure delight, giving the reader a smile or a laugh on every page. Author Sandy Lanton remakes the Little Red Riding Hood fairytale into a perfect Purim story with a spunky, skateboarding Jewish heroine and even a Jewish big, bad wolf. The reader will know he’s Jewish when he exclaims “oy vey.” Pickle-baller Grandma lives in a Florida condo, so for those who live there, or for readers with parents or grandparents there, this brings another knowing smile. As a bonus for parents, the book models proper safety measures for riding a skateboard.  There’s a Purim spiel played for a diverse crowd, with Thaddeus Wolf playing the most fitting character. It ends with Lily, Thaddeus, and Grandma all engaging in a mitzvah together. Back matter includes a hamantashen recipe and a short explanation

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

Professor Buber and His Cats by Susan Tarcov, illustrated by Fotini Tikkou Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker Buy at Bookshop.org A whimsical fictional story based on the real life of philosopher Martin Buber, this picture book will delight all readers, from the children hearing it to the adults reading it. The illustrations of the cats are so expressive that it seems perfectly reasonable when seven street cats start talking to Ketem, the cat protagonist of the story. Ketem is looking for a new home with lots of books. Her home in a book store was perfect, but the store is closing. Professor Buber’s house on Hovevei Zion street with its thousands of books would be ideal, but the street cats tell Ketem that the professor doesn’t want any cats in his house. He loves animals, but he cannot be distracted by their conversation when a person comes to him for advice; he needs to concentrate on that person’s problem.

Dance the Hora, Isadora! by Gloria Koster, illustrated by Barbara Bongini Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker Buy at Bookshop.org This is a joyful book that captures the delight of dancing the hora at a Jewish wedding. Isadora is a spunky little girl who takes ballet classes. At the end of each class, the students can share a favorite dance. Isadora doesn’t have a special dance of her own, but her grandma tells her that she will have one soon. Isadora knows that her grandma is referring to Cousin Rachel’s wedding, which they’ll both be attending on Sunday. At the wedding celebration, when the band starts playing Hava Nagila, Grandma makes a space for herself and Isadora in the dance circle. With no time to learn the hora, Isadora is swept along with the others—and so is the reader thanks to the lively language describing the music and dancing. The illustrations exude laughter and joy and make the wedding come alive

Snail's Ark by Irene Latham, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini G.P. Putnam's Sons (imprint of Penguin Random House), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker Buy at Bookshop.org A beautifully lyrical take on Noah’s ark, though Noah is not heard from at all and the ark is only a minor player. Little snail Esther knows that a big storm—the biggest in the history of the world--is coming. She trails off with all the other creatures towards the water, praying and persevering through her fear. But when she remembers her snail friend, Solomon, she retraces her steps to warn him of the impending danger and usher him along. Esther’s loyalty and bravery, along with a miraculous gust of wind at the right moment, land them on the “giant something” that is the ark. The illustrations of the animals, who take center stage, are stunning with intensely saturated colors. The book has definite literary merit, and children and adults will want to return to this book again and again, bo

Alone Together on Dan Street by Erica Lyons, illustrated by Jennifer Jamieson Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House Publishing), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker Buy at Bookshop.org A young girl, Mira, is stuck at home in her Jerusalem apartment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her parents, while working at home, take breaks to bake cookies with Mira and her brother and play games in the evenings, but Mira still misses the noisy Jerusalem streets and her usual activities. She’s happy the family will get to celebrate Passover, but unhappy that there will be no guests this year. When she practices the four questions on her balcony (the only place she can be by herself), she hears Mr. Blum practicing on his balcony and realizes that many neighbors will be alone at their seders. Mira comes up with a clever plan for everyone to be separate but together. The mitzvah grows as Mira’s hand-made, artistic invitations are passed from balcony to balcony along with

Raquela's Seder by Joel Edward Stein, illustrated by Sara Ugolotti Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker   Buy at Bookshop.org This is a moving story that takes place in Spain at the time of the Inquisition and its prohibition on practicing Judaism. Raquela and her parents celebrate Shabbat each Friday evening in their cellar so as not to be discovered by the Spanish authorities. Raquela’s parents tell her about Passover, and she wishes she could have a seder. Her mama tells her it is too dangerous, but her papa asks Mama to bake matzoh and mix dried fruit, nuts, and spices. He charges Raquela with gathering parsley, an egg, and other items needed for a seder.  Papa is the best fisherman in town, and he knows the best hiding place for fish. It turns out that this is also the best hiding place for Raquela’s family to observe Passover. Raquela gets her seder on the water in a heart-warming ending. Her papa exp