The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Baby Loves Angular Momentum on Hanukkah! by Ruth Spiro, illustrated by Irene Chan Charlesbridge Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Sarah Aronson   Buy at Bookshop.org   As a brand new bubbe, I am always on the hunt for great board books that are fun to read and capture the kids' imagination, and no one is better at creating these books than the team of Ruth Spiro and Irene Chan.    Angular Momentum is many things: It’s an introduction to the meaning of Hanukkah. It’s an introduction to the game of dreidel. AND it’s a discussion about physics, gravity, and angular momentum. Spoiler: I learned something!   Spiro’s prose are simple, fun, and respectful—and scientifically accurate. No misinformation here! Chan’s illustrations bring the text to life. They are delightful—colorful and engaging--perfect for young eyes.    A special surprise: at the end of the book, Spiro includes a nod to diversity and inclusion (and other titles): not all Baby’s friends celebrate Hanukkah . . . bu

 Is It Hanukkah Yet? by Nancy Krulik, illustrated by Monique Dong Step Into Reading Level 2, Random House Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz Buy at Bookshop.org The exuberant first person voice of a nameless little girl makes the controlled vocabulary come alive in this early reader. The child and her grandparents happily prepare for the holiday, and celebrate when the parents arrive home from work at sundown. Typical Hanukkah activities such as making latkes, reading about the Maccabees, lighting candles, playing dreidel, and eating sufganiyot are woven naturally into the story. Grandma gifts her granddaughter the music box they play with at her house ("Now you can hear our special song anytime you like!"),  which pleasantly emphasizes relationships instead of consumerism.  Originally published in 2000 with pictures by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan, this new edition has energetic, rounded illustrations by Monique Dong, arranged with plenty of white space to give the ey

 Klezmer! written and illustrated by Kyra Teis Kar-Ben Publishing, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group   Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Karin Fisher-Golton   Buy at Bookshop.org   With rhythmic, lyrical writing and colorful, movement-filled collage illustrations, Kyra Teis has joyfully met the challenge of representing music in picture book form. In Klezmer! a clarinet-playing girl, whose curly red-orange locks flow to the beat, makes a trip into New York City to see “klezmer’s family and friends, clarinet and violin, from Uptown, Downtown, and Lower East Side.” Accordion and bass show up too—along with a group of musicians who are diverse in age, skin tone, and head coverings. The main text is light on explanation, but provides something more elusive—an experience and a tam (a flavor or taste).   For those wanting a bit more detail, there’s an “About Klezmer Music” section in the back, as well as a QR code that accesses a video of a klezmer performance. Most of the cars

Dear Mr. Dickens by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Bethany Stancliffe Albert Whitman & Co. Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Karin Fisher-Golton Buy at Bookshop.org Dear Mr. Dickens , written by Nancy Churnin and illustrated by Bethany Stancliffe, is an engaging and inspiring tribute to the power of the written word. In the world of this picture book, which is based on a true story, 19th-century author Charles Dickens captivates readers with his stories and inspires positive social change. But his portrayal of an outlaw Jewish character has one of his readers, Eliza Davis, concerned that the depiction could aggravate the already difficult situation for Jews in England in the 1860s. Churnin poignantly shows how upsetting it can be to read such a portrayal as she describes Eliza reading Oliver Twist : “The [criminal] character’s name was Fagin, but over and over Dickens wrote the Jew, the Jew, the Jew . Each time the word hurt like a hammer on Eliza’s heart.”   Eliza writes

 Larry's Latkes by Jenna Waldman, illustrated by Ben Whitehouse Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House Publishing) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Shirley Reva Vernick Buy at Bookshop.org Every Hanukkah, Big Larry the alligator brings out his latke truck and sells the best potato latkes in town using an old family recipe. This year, Big Larry is throwing a latke party for his animal friends, and he wants to try something new. He goes to the farmers market and buys all sorts of fruits and vegetables—but no potatoes. The results are a soggy, goopy mess. Big Larry doesn’t know what to do…until he gets a something-old, something-new brainstorm. He and his friends buy up all the spuds at the farmers market and make potato latkes mixed with fruits and veggies. The new creations are a hit, and the party is a big success.   The book includes a short note about the history of Hanukkah and the symbolism of fried latkes. It concludes with a recipe for Big Larry’s rain

My Hanukkah Book of Opposites by Tammar Stein, illustrated by Juliana Perdomo PJ Publishing Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz Buy on Amazon.com The cover of this board book, with its juxtaposition of warm and cool colors in a symmetrical design, immediately presents a feeling of balance. It also offers a conversation starter: adults can ask children to look for opposites such as tall/short and lit/unlit candles, as well as birds facing to the right or left, priming them for the theme before even opening the book. Within, six pairs of opposites manage to create a narrative, tying together the arrival of guests through the celebration of Hanukkah up until bedtime. The text makes sense chronologically: the people are cold until they go indoors and then they are warm; a platter of latkes is full until they are eaten up and then the platter is empty. Stylish, rounded illustrations depict a diverse gathering of family and friends with a variety of skin tones. Men and boys we

Red and Green and Blue and White by Lee Wind, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky Levine Querido Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Ruth Horowitz Buy at Bookshop.org In 1993, in Billings, Montana, a rock shattered a window displaying a menorah decoration. The community, overwhelmingly non-Jewish, responded by displaying 10,000 menorah decorations in windows around town. RED AND GREEN AND BLUE AND WHITE turns these events into a picture book that is gracefully written, gorgeously illustrated, appropriate for young readers, and inspiring to all.   Lee Wind centers his story on two real children, neighbors and best friends Isaac and Teresa. The two have a lot in common, including loving each other’s holiday lights– Isaac’s the only blue-and-white display in a sea of red and green. One night, “shadows” approach Isaac’s house, and a stone shatters his window. After the police come and the glass is replaced, Isaac’s frightened family considers keeping their display down. But erring on

The Three Latkes by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Feronia Parker-Thomas Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Lisa Silverman   Buy at KarBen.com Jewish holiday books that riff off of a known folk tale can be fun, such as The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah , or The Runaway Latke . Here well-known author Eric Kimmel is lightly mimicking the part of the Gingerbread Man story where the fox outwits the Gingerbread Man and gobbles him up.  Latkes made from red, yellow, and gold potatoes argue about which of them is the best, and invite the cat to judge the contest by eating them up. The cat devours them after topping them with applesauce, sour cream, and jam. The winner of the contest remains forever unknown because the latkes are no longer there to hear the answer. As an adult reader, I notice a number of logical inconsistencies. The most noticeable of these is the fact that the sentient latkes wish to be eaten, although they know

Pumpkin Pie for Sigd by Jennifer Tzivia MacLeod, illustrated by Denise Damanti Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck Buy at Bookshop.org The focus of this story is on Maddie, a white American girl who has made aliyah with her family from the United States, and who misses Thanksgiving and its traditional foods. She is welcomed by her black friend Orly's family to join their celebration of Sigd, the Ethiopian holiday that celebrates the acceptance of the Torah. The story highlights diversity with the girls prevailing on neighbors for ingredients for a pumpkin pie. The illustrations are colorful, with the Sigd celebration scenes full of happy people and lively interaction. Readers learn about traditional Ethiopian foods - misir wat (spicy lentil stew), injera (sour bread), and dabo (holiday bread). An author's note explains how immigrants to Israel acclimate and a little about Sigd, which falls on the 29th of Cheshvan

A Bear for Bimi by Jane Breskin Zalben, illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rachel Simon Buy at Bookshop.org A Bear for Bimi , written by Jane Breskin Zalben and illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg, is an accessible and important picture book. It follows the story of Evie (white and presumably Jewish), who lives in America, and her new friend, Bimi (brown, and presumably Muslim), who has immigrated with his family to Evie’s neighborhood. Bimi and his family are greeted by diverse neighbors who welcome them and of course some who don’t, like Mrs. Monroe. Throughout the story, neighbors help Bimi and his parents, and Evie even gives him her teddy bear. Their neighbor Mrs. Monroe is the only one who does not take to their family, though ultimately she comes around when the children help her with her fallen groceries. The illustrations are simple, but delightful. The colors are vibrant and I particularly love

Hannah G. Solomon Dared to Make a Difference by Bonnie Lindauer, illustrated by Sofia Moore Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Beth L. Gallego Buy at Bookshop.org The 1893 Columbian Exposition - better known today as the Chicago World’s Fair - introduced many inventions and innovations, including electric lamps and the Ferris wheel. It was also the birthplace of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), thanks to the efforts of Hannah Greenebaum Solomon.   Born to German immigrant parents in 1858, young Hannah grew up encouraged to treat all people with respect and to help those less fortunate than herself. Her parents set the example, working to aid new immigrants, impoverished families, and people fleeing slavery. In the aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, Hannah’s parents opened their home to those who had lost theirs.   As an adult, Hannah was among the first Jewish women admitted to the Chicago Women’s Cl

Sunday with Savta by Wiley Blevins, illustrated by Eliahou Eric Bokobza Reycraft Books (imprint of Newmark Learning LLC) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rachel J. Fremmer   Buy at Bookshop.org When the unnamed protagonist’s grandmother visits from Israel, Savta takes her grandson to the Statue of Liberty and to the Museum of Jewish Heritage in lower Manhattan (unnamed in the text). Grandmother and grandson enter a series of rooms with paintings representing Jewish holidays and certain events in Israeli history; Savta identifies each holiday and shares a family story about it. Although he is planning to celebrate his bar mitzvah in Israel in less than 2 years, the boy seems to know nearly nothing about Jewish holidays. It strains credulity that an 11-year-old who plans on having a bar mitzvah would have so little familiarity with Jewish holidays and traditions. When the boy goes to Israel a year and a half later, we learn that his grandmother has died. He goes to visit her gra

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

Avi and Ahmed Play Football in Jerusalem's Sacher Park  by Kerry Olitzky & Inas Younis, illustrated by Leticia Saad Dixi Books Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Eva L. Weiss Buy at Dixi Books The plot of this pleasantly illustrated and simply told picture book focuses on misunderstandings between friends—nearly six-year-old Jewish Avi and his Arab friend Ahmed. The story is set in the heart of Jerusalem and the two boys enjoy playing together on the grassy lawns of Jerusalem’s largest public park, Gan Sacher. The misunderstandings are gentle: an American cousin introduces confusion about the terms football and soccer and Avi worries when his Ahmed doesn’t show up for his birthday party in another Jerusalem park. Avi calls his parents by the Hebrew terms Abba and Ima and we see a small kippa on Avi’s head. Ahmed’s culture is given a nod when it is explained that he knows the hour he is expected to go home when he hears the call to prayer from a nearby mosque. Alas, that is a

 Thank You, Modeh Ani by Rabbi Alyson Solomon, illustrated by Bryony Clarkson Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Dena Bach Buy at Bookshop.org It’s hard to keep still while reading Rabbi Alyson Solomon’s Thank You, Modeh Ani . This is definitely a book that should be read aloud, with plenty of wiggle room for the child readers to stand, dance, and clap along with the narrative. Solomon’s book is a fine interpretation of Modeh Ani and Asher Yatzar, two prayers that are said upon waking up, that understands the physicality of these prayers that celebrate all the things that the human body can do. A note at the end further explains the prayers and their context and how the reader can incorporate them into their day. Bryony Taylor’s collage illustrations are lovely and lively and are fully in keeping with the call of the text to wake up and move. Taylor brings all kinds of diversity that are not specified in the narrative, including the di

 Shabbat Shalom by Douglas Florian, illustrated by Hannah Tolson Candlewick Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Chava Pinchuck Buy at Bookshop.org This board book has few words and colorful, cute illustrations. Although one would not attribute "literary quality," it definitely stands out in the category. The rhymes are very simple, "We hurry home. Shabbat Shalom!" The pictures are what make the book interesting, as they depict an observant family, with the father, grandfather and son wearing huge kippot, and the mother and grandmother wearing head coverings that look like babushkas from the shtetl. If I were going to nit pick, I would change “A prayer is said on challah bread” to “a blessing is said” and for “the food is sweet,” I would change the picture from chicken soup to dessert. That said, the book meets the Sydney Taylor Book Award criteria with its authentic, positive presentation of the Sabbath for the very youngest children. Are you interested in reviewing b

We Go to Shul by Douglas Florian, illustrated by Hannal Tolson Candlewick Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Ruth Horowitz Buy at Bookshop.org On Shabbat morning, two little girls wake up in a bright bedroom filled with toys and books. They get dressed and walk with their mother and father past a bakery and a fruit seller, to shul. When they arrive, the doors there are open and people are outside greeting each other. Inside, the girls and their mother sit upstairs with the other women and watch the Torah being read downstairs. Then the Torah is held up, outspread, while everyone sings and feels proud. Then the family walks back home and has lunch. Like so many stories for the youngest readers, this board book simply depicts an event from everyday life in short, rhyming couplets. What makes We Go To Shul out of the ordinary is that it shows a Jewish family observing a traditional Shabbat. What makes it extraordinary is that it’s published by Candlewick, a mainstream press. Jewi

 The Candy Man Mystery by Rabbi Kerry Olitzky, illustrated by Christina Mattison Ebert Kalaniot (imprint of Endless Mountain Publishing) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Dena Bach Buy at Bookshop.org For many children who regularly attend services at a synagogue, the person that makes them feel most welcome is not the rabbi or cantor but is instead the time-honored “Candy Man” or “Lollipop Lady,” the regular attendee who hands out free candy to any child who approaches. Though the idea of giving candy to entice children could be problematic, in The Candy Man Mystery , Rabbi Kerry Olitsky, author of Where's the Potty on this Ark? does a good job of showing that the reward is actually in the relationships and in the community, and not in the sweets.    With the "mystery" of where the missing Candy Man went, the young reader is guided through the narrative in an age-appropriate manner, and is introduced to the people, places, and prayers that can be found and hear

 A Queen to the Rescue: The Story of Henrietta Szold, Founder of Hadassah by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg Creston Books (imprint of Lerner Publishing) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Beth Gallego Buy at Bookshop.org Growing up the daughter of a Rabbi in Baltimore just after the Civil War, Henrietta Szold saw many people in need and wanted to help. She took particular inspiration from the Purim story she heard every year. Queen Esther - Hadassah in Hebrew - was her model of a brave woman standing up for her people and making a difference.   Opportunities for women to help others, though, were limited. Szold was not interested in the expected path of marriage and children. She became a teacher, opened a night school for new immigrants to learn English after work, and started the Jewish Publication Society.   After the turn of the century, she visited Jerusalem and saw children in need of food and medicine. This was a job far too big for one person, so Szold c