The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Happy HanukKAT by Jessica Hickman, illustrated by Elissambura Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Sarah Clarke   Buy at Bookshop.org   Happy HanukKat is a cute board book that showcases a cat family celebrating Hanukkah. The story begins with the cats getting dressed up in festive sweaters and hats. The young kittens play dreidel, while the adult cats make latkes. After lighting the menorah and reading the story of the Maccabees, delicious jelly donuts are served. The story ends with a warm wish of Happy HanukKAT at the closing of the holiday.   This story is a great read for very young children. It’s simple and to the point. The puns and jokes made, like "the Maccabees were pawsitively brave,” are simple enough that most children will understand them. For the children who don’t understand, it doesn’t take anything away from the story. The rhyming scheme of the books works well, making it a good option for a read-a...

The Henna Helper by Tami Lehman-Wilzig, illustrated by Yinon Ptahia Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rachel J. Fremmer   Buy at Bookshop.org The theme of The Henna Helper is summed up by its protagonist, Gali, as she waits for her flower girl dress for her cousin Yael’s wedding to be made. Preempted by the henna ceremony which takes place a week before the wedding, Gali bursts out, “Our family doesn’t live in Yemen anymore. Yael is a modern Israeli! Why is she having a henna?” The age-old push-and-pull of old and new, tradition and reinvention is highlighted here. Her grandmother wisely asks Gali to help her prepare for the henna ceremony. Of course, Gali learns the value of retaining traditions and learning about her heritage, even going so far as to declare that when she gets married, she too will have a henna ceremony. When the flower girl dress which her grandmother has sewn is revealed, it also has Yemenite embroider...

Can Posters Kill? Antisemitic Propaganda and World War II by Jerry Faivish with Kathryn Cole Second Story Press, 2025 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Emily Roth   Buy at Bookshop.org Can Posters Kill? Antisemitic Propaganda and World War II masterfully evaluates the danger of propaganda and how it was used during the Holocaust. In Faivish’s introduction, he explains why, as the child of two Holocaust survivors, he decided to begin collecting propaganda posters. Although the posters are painful to look at, Faivish feels that they should be viewed as a warning for the future. This slim but powerful book examines thirty-eight posters created between 1933 and 1945, divided into sections before, during, and after WWII. It is well-organized and easy to read, with each two-page spread displaying a poster on the left and a paragraph of text explaining it on the right. Although a large percentage of these posters were created by Hitler’s Ministry of Propaganda, as the war went on and the r...

Across the Jewniverse: 180 Totally Random Jewish Facts by Kerry Olitzky and Deborah Bodin Cohen Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Nockowitz   Buy at Bookshop.org The newest nonfiction book from Kerry Olitzky and Deborah Boden Cohen, Across the Jewniverse , gives middle grade readers “180 totally random facts” about Jewish culture, people, geography, and history. And, boy, do the authors deliver on the random facts! Each spread offers several sometimes loosely-, sometimes closely-related tidbits of information. In one spread, for example, readers learn about the flavor of Moroccan challah, the length of the world’s longest challah, and fact that Ugandan challah is baked in banana leaves. Across the Jewniverse is a feast for the eyes, loaded with bold graphics and playful juxtaposition of photos and text. Brightly colored text boxes are layered over modern stock images and historical photos. Taken all together, the boo...

Bedtime Stories for Strong Jewish Girls: Tales of 50 Jewish Heroines Who Changed the World by Melanie Goldberg Silver, illustrated by Jess Goldsmith Gefen Publishing House, 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Belinda Brock   Buy at GefenPublishing.com   This books highlights the lives of 50 Jewish women who made significant contributions. The author has curated a diverse group across the ages representing various fields and professions. Some are more well-known and others have been overlooked or forgotten. For instance, while I was familiar with Eliezer Ben Yehudah, who revived the Hebrew language for modern times, I never knew about the part played by his wife Hemdah Jonas Ben-Yehudah. The author has crafted entertaining and informative narratives for each woman. One element that keeps the mini-biographies interesting is the generous use of dialogue and the subjects' thoughts. This does not detract from the stories, but a librarian might classify this book as historical fic...

Lost and Found Hanukkah by Joy Preble, illustrated by Lisa Anchin Chronicle Books, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Shanna Silva   Buy at Bookshop.org Lost and Found Hanukkah explores themes of loss, change, and self-determination. Nate is missing his old neighborhood and friends, especially when he discovers that his special menorah has been lost in the move. His Daddy and Abba bring him to a Judaica store to choose a new menorah, and Nate makes friends with Amy, the shopkeeper, and her cat, Kugel. None of the store menorahs catch his eye, and when Kugel escapes, Nate’s focus becomes finding the lost kitty. When he does find and lure her with a fresh latke, Nate discovers a piece of wood to fashion his own menorah. Hanukkah is celebrated and a special guest makes their new apartment feel like home. Lost and Found Hanukkah has literary merit and positive, authentic Jewish content. Anchin’s rich illustrations contain wonderful detail, and a cornucopia of Judaic imagery is ...

Teensy Weensy by Vered Lebber, illustrated by Kinneret Gildar, translated by Gilah Kahn-Hoffmann Green Bean Books, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Esty Schachter   Buy at Bookshop.org   Israeli import  Teensy Weensy tells a tender story about a girl who nurses a hatchling to health. Gildar’s illustrations are engaging, delicate, and quite beautiful. The quotes the author chose to begin the book are lovely, especially this one by Aviva Zornberg: “Chesed is not just kindness… It is also courage and imagination.” Efrat, the little girl, shows strength, caring and determination, all things I love to see in a main character. She persists, even when others express doubts.    All that said, the science of the book unfortunately doesn’t hold up. A child could not nurse a hatchling to health on her own, and the things she does in the book would in fact be harmful (and also illegal in the U.S. according to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.) The adults in the ...