The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

The Bagel Who Wanted Everything written and illustrated by Alan Silberberg Viking Books for Young Readers, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Jacqueline Jules   Buy at Bookshop.org   Once upon a time, all bagels were just one thing. Plain bagels were only plain. Sesame bagels were only sesame. Onion were only onion. So on and so forth. Each type of bagel believed they were the one thing they were meant to be. Until one day a plain bagel questioned this idea. It was boring to be just one thing. What was wrong with being more? When the plain bagel began experimenting, the result was hilarious. All the bagels, including the plain bagel, “roared and rocked and rolled around” laughing. In the process, their crunchy bagel bits fell off. And an entirely new flavor of bagel was born which was very definitely not one thing: the Everything Bagel. This witty story of self-actualization is delightfully brought to life by Alan Silberberg. His illustrations are wacky, colorful, and jus...

The Remembering Candle by Alison Goldberg, illustrated by Selina Alko Barefoot Books, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Jacqueline Jules   Buy at Bookshop.org   With direct, yet childlike language, a young narrator shares how his family observes the first yahrzeit of their beloved grandfather. Together, the family lights the candle at sundown. Little sister Elsie wants to blow it out like a birthday candle until Mom explains that this candle isn’t for wishes. A yahrzeit candle is made to last twenty-four hours, long enough to spend some thoughtful time remembering a loved one. Through touching illustrations and text, the narrator recalls fond memories, such as how his grandfather loved to gaze through a telescope at night. The imagery of stars is woven into the story as the text compares the many memories shared throughout the book to shining lights in the sky. This thought is accompanied by a lovely illustration depicting the family as constellations. The last lines of t...

Dancing on Memories by Freda Lewkowicz, illustrated by Sally Anne Garland Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Ronda Einbinder   Buy at Bookshop.org   In her younger years, Nana swirled and twirled across the stage as a prima ballerina. She soared like a swan. But now she is illustrated standing alone in the bottom corner of the page with her gray hair and drooping eyes as the memory thief has come. The story is told through the voice of her granddaughter, Sarah, who tells the reader about how she and her grandmother once baked challah together for Shabbat. “We’re braided together, just like challah,” Grandma says, hugging Sarah. They once danced together like flickering flames on a Hanukkah menorah—but now the memory thief has stolen bits and pieces of Nana. They no longer dance together. Sarah asks, “How can I help her remember?” And an idea pirouettes in her thoughts. Nana remembers long ago better than yesterday....

With a Needle & Thread: A Jewish Folktale from Cuba by Jennifer Stempel, illustrated by Libi Axelrod Kalaniot Books, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Suzanne Grossman   Buy at Bookshop.org Reminiscent of the traditional folktale "Something From Nothing," a young girl learns to sew from her grandmother, carrying this skill through life as she uses remnants of her outgrown childhood dress for beautiful creations: a baby blanket for a bris, a tallit for a bar mitzvah, and a chuppah cover for her own wedding. Finally she enlarges a tablecloth for shared meals by enlisting everyone to bring whatever scraps they can. Although this is a land of hardship and scarcity, we experience the love and close dependence within this small remnant of a Jewish community. Here nothing goes to waste, recycling is of the essence. Backmatter includes a glossary, map of the island, a recipe for a traditional chicken dish, and a brief history and a description of Jewish life in Cuba. The bo...

Loudmouth: Emma Goldman vs. America (a love story) by Deborah Heiligman Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2025 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Rachel Aronowitz   Buy at Bookshop.org   Loudmouth is a biography of Emma Goldman: early 20th century anarchist, talented orator, tireless fighter for woman's rights and labor rights, imprisoned many times, proponent of free love, newspaper editor and a Russian Jewish immigrant. Goldman's life is so full of adventure, idealism, and history that the reader is enthralled and engaged for the nearly 300 page book. It is a fascinating romp though the politics and everyday life of the turn of the 20th century and especially what life was like for women, laborers, and working class people of that era. As an adult reader I was captivated by Goldman's life; however, I often questioned whether a teen reader would be the right audience for this exploration. There are details of the horrors of prison life, polyamory, violent scenes of gun wounds, and...

Chesed by Karyn Friedman-Everham, illustrated by Gabby Grant PJ Publishing, 2025 Category: Board Book Reviewer: Elizabeth Suneby   Simple, rhyming text and soft, pleasing illustrations adorn this charming board book about chesed, the Hebrew word for kindness. The story shares the cycle of a girl and her family tending to a fruit sapling as it grows and bears fruit that they share with the community -- people and birds alike! The metaphor of growing chesed communicates the ripple effect of grace and goodwill. What a wonderful opportunity to encourage little ones and the adults reading to them to embrace kindness. The beauty of this book is the universal appeal of the story about one example of kindness. While the note from PJ Library references teachings in the Torah, the book is perfect for families of all faiths. It also helps non-Jewish people better understand Jewish values, which is critical at a time when antisemitism is on the rise.       ARE YOU INTERESTED IN...

Max and Emma Discover the Meaning of Manna by Carl Harris Shuman, illustrated by Leo Trinidad Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Merle Carrus   Buy at Bookshop.org   Max and Emma are back for another adventure. Traveling back in time, they visit historical characters who help them understand a Jewish holiday or concept. It is the holiday of Sukkot, and the Rabbi is teaching Max and Emma’s class about the lulav and etrog. They discuss the Israelites traveling in the desert. The Rabbi explains that there were not actual huts but protective clouds that hovered over and around the Israelites as they traveled across the desert. That is why today we recreate that effect by erecting a Sukkah in our yards. As the children imagine the Israelites traveling they wonder what they ate along the way. The Rabbi explains about the manna falling each day. Emma wonders what manna was and what it tasted like. Emma, Max and their friend Eita...