The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

The Discovery of Dragons (Miriam's Magical Creature Files) by Leah Cypess, illustrated by Sarah Lynne Reul Amulet Books (imprint of Abrams), 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Rebecca Klempner   Buy at Bookshop.org   Miriam's Magical Creature Files: The Discovery of Dragons is a middle-grade novel which follows a young Orthodox Jewish girl, Miriam, who has decided that all statements of her family members must be investigated to be believed. This decision followed several incidents in which claims made by her mother, father, and sister later proved untrue. In this volume of the series, Miriam’s sister says there is a dragon at the zoo. (This is the second book in a series which started with The Truth About the Tooth Fairy .) Today is Miriam’s field trip to the zoo, so she will be in the right place to investigate. Miriam is a funny and appealing narrator. Despite the magical nature of dragons, Cypess grounds the story in authentic childlike behavior and concrete details li...

Fairy Godbubbie's Shabbat written and illustrated by Ann Diament Koffsky Intergalactic Afikoman, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Amy Brook Cohen   Buy at Bookshop.org   Fairy GodBubbie’s Shabbat is a gem of a book; beautifully written and vibrantly illustrated. The book tells the story of what happens to young Sara and her parents when they’re visited by a Fairy Godbubbie on a mission. Fairy Godbubbie desires to bring magic into every home during Shabbat. She starts by freezing all electronic devices - dad’s laptop, mom’s phone, and Sara’s iPad. She also provides the family with Shabbat candles and sets the table with challah, wine, Kiddush cups and a whole dinner, too. Even when each family member is showing clear signs of screen time withdrawal, they are left with no other choice than to enjoy spending time together and to embrace the magic of Shabbat. When Shabbat comes to a close, Fairy Godbubbie gives the family a Havdalah candle, spices, and grape juice and sings ...

Fanny's Big Idea: How Jewish Book Week Was Born by Richard Michelson, illustrated by Alyssa Russell Rocky Pond Books, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Suzanne Grossman   Buy at Bookshop.org 2025 is the 100th year of Jewish Book Week in America and we have a brand new biography of Fanny Goldstein, the woman who started it all. Immigrating to the United States from Russia to avoid persecution, her family arrived in Boston where she attended school and the North End Settlement House. Both institutions were designed to assimilate the immigrant population but Fanny felt that people should be proud of and learn about their homelands, maintaining their heritage. She remembered the words of her grandmother, "The more you know about someone's life, the harder it is not to like them." She carried this message as a beacon through her career as a librarian, becoming the first Jewish person to head a branch library in the United States. From her position she hosted the firs...

Bavajadas! That's Just Silly! by Sarah Aroeste, illustrated by Annabel Tempest PJ Publishing, 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Lauren Kasiarz   With rhyming questions that are increasingly silly and implausible, this board book is a laugh-out-loud introduction for the youngest readers to Ladino, also known as Judeo-Spanish. Author Sarah Aroeste has coupled these questions with the refrain of “Bavajadas! That’s just silly!” which enhances the interactive read-aloud quality of this story. Illustrator Annabel Tempest then matches the lightheartedness of the text with brightly colored and cartoonish illustrations. With a note on the back of the book, Jews everywhere will benefit from an introduction to Ladino and the Sephardic Jewish community, as well as other languages and dialects that have developed in Jewish communities around the world. At the bottom of the note, there is also a link that readers can follow to find music by author Sarah Aroeste in Ladino. Though the joy of t...

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....