The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Acts of Lovingkindness by Nina Kentsis Porter Place Publishing, 2025 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Julie Ditton   Buy at Bookshop.org   Acts of Lovingkindness is a touching coming of age story that relates a teenager's experiences during her senior year in high school. It covers everything from first love, awakening sexuality, and the problems with the possibility of a long distance relationship once she goes to college. Although the character becomes involved in an adult relationship, the scenes are not explicit. The book would be appropriate for younger teens as well. But this is not really a love story, it also explores outgrowing friendships as people change, relatives with addiction, and broken trust. Nina Kentsis captures teenage angst and issues and the characters ring true. Francie is Jewish, but is not particularly religious and has rarely attended services since her Bat Mitzvah. However, she needs community service hours for a high school credit and her mother ha...

Hamantaschen or Latkes? by Kerry M. Olitzky, illustrated by Ruby Silberman Bink Books (imprint of Bedazzled Ink), 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Amy Brook Cohen   Buy at Bookshop.org   This delightful new picture book was inspired by the real-life Great Latke-Hamantash Debate, started in 1946 and still held annually at the University of Chicago; now held at many other universities around the U.S as well. Our two protagonists are Sandy and Zoe, two girls living in the charming Squirrel Hill neighborhood in Pittsburgh. While Sandy’s mom owns a bakery and their sell-out product is hamantaschen, Zoe’s mom owns a deli where the most popular item is latkes. The girls are friends, and they enjoy playful banter, debating the merits of both foods, each of them steadfast in their commitment to one food over the other. When they come up with an idea to set up a table in the park so that community members can sample both hamantaschen and latkes and vote on which one they prefer, t...

Challah from Heaven written and illustrated by Richard Ungar PJ Publishing, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Ellie Grossman Cohen   Buy at PJLibraryshop.org   This new twist on a Shabbat tale leaves crumbs, or clues, for the reader to follow as we chase the flyaway challah and discover a mystery gues. The anticipation of Shabbat is palatable as Mama and her daughter Hannin make a scrumptious golden brown challah for a special visitor, the Gaon (pronounced “guy-own”) of Minsk. He is described as a wise old man with wiggly eyebrows who travels the villages and shares his timeless stories. Meanwhile, the challah disappears from the windowsill to cool and begins to fly through the sky, almost touching the clouds. The reader tags along with the young girl as she hurries through the bustling shtetl, which is illustrated with splashes of color, slanted rooflines, and whimsical details. She asks Yaakov the painter, Tzipporah the bird whisperer, and finally the bearded old man si...

Golem Loves Latkes: A Tasty Hanukkah Tale by Doreen Klein Robinson, illustrated by Anna Krajewska Intergalactic Afikoman, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rebecca Klempner   Buy at Bookshop.org Golem Loves Latkes is a slapstick picture book kids will enjoy. Our narrator, referred to affectionately as "Bubbeleh," usually loves to visit her bubbe in Schmoozeville. But when she arrives just before Hanukkah, the neighbors who prefer sour cream with their latkes are at war with those who prefer applesauce. Instead of schmoozing amicably, everyone is screaming at each other. Bubbeleh and Bubbe make latke batter, and while Bubbe fries those latkes up, Bubbeleh starts crafting. First, she makes a dreidel. Then she makes a golem. It comes to life when it smells the delectable scent of the latkes. It eats them with sour cream, applesauce, and even with ketchup. When it runs out of latkes in Bubbe's house, it runs to the neighbors. It eats up their latkes, too! Finally, Bubbe...

A Dragon Called Spark: A Hanukkah Story by Lily Murray, illustrated by Kirsti Beautyman Kalaniot Books (imprint of Endless Mountains Publishing), 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Jodie Sadowsky   Buy at Bookshop.org Eva expects Hanukkah to feel very different this year. She’s moved to “a new street, a new town” far away from her friends. Eva takes comfort in the company of her pet dragon, Spark, who she imagines might be lonely. Eva’s sister laughs and says it would take a miracle for Spark to find a dragon friend. Eva wishes for it anyway: a friend for each of them. When Hanukkah begins, the family’s hanukkiyah in the window interests Charlie, a neighborhood boy, who asks about the candles. Soon, the two are sharing Hanukkah treats, and Eva finally feels brave enough to tell Charlie about Spark. Charlie tries his hardest to see Spark. Later, at the playground, Eva suspects Charlie has told the other children about her pet dragon and that they are all laughing at her. Endear...

Can You Hear Them? One, Two! by Jamie Kiffel-Alcheh, illustrated by Florence Weiser PJ Publishing, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rochelle Newman-Carrasco   Buy at PJLibraryshop.org   This sweet picture book opens as the rains end and the animals exit the ark to explore and play. The simple rhyming storytelling is not only meant to be read aloud, but has the added bonus of playing with the fun sounds animals make. This creates the opportunity for an interactive experience as readers encourage little listeners to imitate the sounds – the “grunt, grunt,” of piglets, the “Ooh-wah, Ooh-wah!” of elephants, and more. Speaking of little ones, the storytelling and illustration does a lovely job of focusing on the baby and young animals who are ready to play and explore. Not only does each picture feature adorable animals in action, but the use of rich, vibrant colors includes emphasizing the animal name and sound so that they stand-out. Little children, from diverse background...

Sparrow by Mary Tebo, illustrated by E.B. Lewis Astra Young Readers, 2025 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz   Buy at Bookshop.org   A sparrow builds her nest in a crevice in the Western Wall in Jerusalem, using plant material and prayer notes. She doesn't know exactly what's going to happen, but she has a sense of expectation and hope. Hope, indeed, is the theme of the story. Lyrically told in the present tense, and accompanied by beautiful realistic paintings that move between cityscapes and closeups, the story captures some of the magic of this city that is sacred to so many people. By showcasing the neutral character of a sparrow, the book becomes equally accessible to readers of all backgrounds.    No religions are mentioned in the text, although there is a reference to church bells. The illustrations include the Western Wall, the golden Dome of the Rock, and many church towers, as well as people of various skin tones, some wearing kippot. The ba...