The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Construction Site Hanukkah Lights: A Hanukkah Lift-the-Flap Book by Sherri Duskey Rinker, illustrated by Shawna J.C. Tenney Chronicle Books, 2025 Category: Board Books Reviewer: Lila Spitz   Buy at Bookshop.org This lift-the-flap board book is a charming and culturally appropriate addition to the Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site series. The text bolds specific words to show emphasis and includes developmentally appropriate rhymes which give the book a sing-song tone when read aloud. The illustrations are drawn in the same fun style and high contrast colors-yellow, red, and orange- as other books in the series. The seven machines celebrate Hanukkah by participating in cultural and religious traditions such as building a menorah, lighting candles, and gifting gelt. Additionally, the cement mixer creatively sculpts a huge dreidel in recognition of its importance within the Hanukkah story. This delightful book would be a wonderful gift for Jewish and non-Jewish toddlers this 2...

The Book of Candles: Eight Poems for Hanukkah by Laurel Snyder, illustrated by Leanne Hatch Clarion Books (imprint of HarperCollins), 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili   Buy at Bookshop.org   The Book of Candles: Eight Poems for Hanukkah is exactly as its title suggests, and also so much more. A collection of eight free verse poems, one for each night of Hanukkah, each poem centers around the candles themselves and is followed by a thought for that particular night. These thoughts pack in a lot of interesting and useful information that may be new for some readers. For example, the thought for the fourth night explains that the Hanukkah candles are lit on Friday night before the Shabbat candles are lit. The thought for the sixth night describes the placing of the candles from right to left in the hanukkiah and lighting them from left to right (although the illustrations for that night and the last night may be interpreted as depicting the...

A Teddy Bear for Emily -- And President Roosevelt, Too by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Bethany Stancliffe Albert Whitman & Co., 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Amy Blaine   Buy at Bookshop.org A Teddy Bear for Emily — And President Roosevelt, Too is a warm-hearted picture book based on the true story of the Michtom family who, in 1902, created a stuffed bear inspired by and named after U.S. president Teddy Roosevelt. The story begins in Brooklyn with mother Rose and her daughter Emily, seated side-by-side. As Rose models her creation of a handmade stuffed bear, Emily assists with needle and thread and listens to her mother recall the story of her parents’ emigration from Russia and their meeting and courtship in America. Ultimately, Rose and Morris Michtom married and together opened a candy store. The bear Emily and her mother are creating was inspired by a news article about President Roosevelt and his reluctance to shoot a real bear on one of his well-publicized hu...

Trouble Finds Evie Lefkowitz by Diana Harmon Asher PJ Publishing, 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Esty Schachter             Buy at Amazon.com   It’s hard to know where to start in describing the depth and heart of delightful must-read, Trouble Finds Evie Lefkowitz . The characters are highly engaging and relatable, managing serious themes but also infusing humor throughout. Evie is interesting and complex, and so are her friends and classmates, which is, in fact, one of the many themes of the book. Other themes include coping with grief, bullying, ignorance and intolerance, as well as finding strength and understanding in unexpected ways and more. The book deftly explores the idea that sometimes taking a stand for something that feels right may lead to a bit of trouble, but is nonetheless a risk worth taking. Jewish themes are woven into the book naturally because they are key elements of Evie’s life. From reflecting on having been a canto...

Speedy and the Race Against Sound by Erez Hadad, illustrated by Menahem Halberstadt, translated by Gilah Kahn-Hoffmann Green Bean Books, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rinat Hadad Siegel   Buy at Bookshop.org   How wonderful it is when an author can take an abstract concept written many years ago and transform it into a contemporary story without being didactic. That is a gift and a skill. Full disclaimer: My last name is also Hadad, but Erez and I are not related, to the best of our knowledge… However, we are good friends, and I am so happy to review his clever, creative, and engaging story, Speedy and the Race Against Sound . While I was expecting some rendition of the old tale of The Tortoise and the Hare, I got a new, fresh outlook on —MIDRASH TEHILLIM 120, which, in short, suggests that words are like arrows; once released, you cannot call them back. Speedy the rabbit is the fastest animal in the forest and has many talents. When Speedy wants to show off his ...

The Daughter of Auschwitz: The Girl Who Lived to Tell Her Story by Tova Friedman Quill Tree Books (imprint of HarperCollins), 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Merle Eisman Carrus   Buy at Bookshop.org   Tova Friedman was four years old when her family was moved to a Jewish Ghetto in Poland and just six when they were forced into a cattle car bound for Auschwitz concentration camp. Tova is one of the youngest survivors of the horrendous death camp. As time passes and the survivors of the Holocaust atrocities are fewer and fewer, Tova feels it is her obligation to tell her story. She must keep sharing her experiences so that the world will not forget what happened in World War II Germany and Poland.   Tova tells the story from the perspective of a young girl of twelve talking to a classmate. This makes the story easier for young readers to understand and relate to the details. We meet Tova when she comes to New York City and is starting her new life in America. It...

Slow Down, Shoshi!: It's Shabbat in Uganda by Shoshana Nambi, illustrated by Moran Yogev Kalaniot Books, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Karin Fisher-Golton   Buy at Bookshop.org   In Slow Down, Shoshi! , the protagonist from the acclaimed The Very Best Sukkah is back, with a challenging situation for her energetic nature—slowing down for Shabbat. The story opens lyrically, transporting readers to its rural Ugandan setting, with the sights, sounds, and smells of coffee trees. Shoshi rushes, both during harvest time and as she and her grandfather walk to town to sell coffee beans and buy supplies for Shabbat. Her haste causes her to forget one key element. As she gathers items to replace it, she gets another chance to slow down and, this time, experiences the value of savoring the moment. While portraying a universal and very relatable growth arc about slowing down, author Shoshana Nambi also draws on her upbringing and exposes her audience to life in rural Uganda and t...