The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Bear and Fred: A World War II Story by Iris Argaman, illustrated by Avi Ofer, translated by Annette Appel Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Karin Fisher-Golton Buy at Bookshop.org I keep an eye out for books that inform children about the Holocaust and can engage their emotions without overwhelming them (which can lead to numbing out). Bear and Fred: A World War II Story is one such book. It is based on the true story of a teddy bear that belonged to a boy named Fred Lessing. Decades after he survived the Holocaust, Mr. Lessing generously gifted the bear to Yad Vashem’s museum. Captivated by their story, author Iris Argaman wrote this picture book in Hebrew, and Annette Appel translated it into the English version I review here. Told from the bear’s point of view, Bear and Fred follows the two titular characters as Fred’s family must abruptly leave their home in Delft, Holland and Fred spends the rest of the war in hiding, separated from his family. Ultimately Fred’s family reunites

Hillel Builds a House by Shoshana Lepon, illustrated by Ángeles Ruiz Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Laurie Adler Buy at Bookshop.org Hillel builds houses everywhere- out of boxes, pillows, sheets, or whatever is on hand. This book by Shoshana Lepon takes us on a tour through the Jewish year as Hillel seeks out the perfect Jewish holiday in which to indulge his passion. No festival is quite right until, predictably, the holiday of Sukkot arrives, and Hillel can construct a sukkah, or temporary dwelling. Sukkot is indeed the perfect time to build a house. This straightforward story has enough details about each Jewish holiday to save it from being a niche book about Sukkot. The standout illustrations by Ángeles Ruiz, full of soft blues and vivid oranges, keep the reader engaged by showing Hillel's interactions with his family and his multiracial Jewish community. Hillel Builds a House was originally published in 1993, but was redesigned this year with new

Calling Cobber by Sheri Sinykin Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Nockowitz   Buy at Bookshop.org   Early on in Sheri Sinykin’s middle grade novel,   Calling Cobber , 11-year-old Jacob “Cobber” Stern’s English teacher asks him to compose a haiku about himself and his family history. Cobber writes:   Me? I am nothing./No culture, no heritage./I am just Cobber . He is a boy adrift, without an anchor to steady him in his uncertain world. Cobber doesn’t know how to communicate with his emotionally distant, workaholic father since his mother’s death six years ago. He’s not sure if his friendship with BFF Boolkie Berman can survive now that Boolkie has “abandoned” him for Hebrew School and bar mitzvah studies. And he feels increasingly responsible for his great-grandfather, his Papa-Ben, who still lives on his own but is becoming more and more forgetful. All of this uncertainty leaves Cobber feeling grief-stricken, fearful, and defeated. Underpinning Cobber’s troubles is his contentious

  A Sweet Meeting on Mimouna Night is a story of friendship between Jewish and Muslim characters, so I thought it would be interesting to draw your attention to this review written from a Muslim point of view. It's by Sadaf Siddique at Lantern Reads, a website that focuses on South Asian and Muslim children's literature. Sadaf and I have worked together several times: first I interviewed her on The Book of Life podcast ; then we co-wrote an article for The Horn Book ; more recently we presented a workshop together for EMIERT on fighting antisemitism and Islamophobia through children's literature. To hear her perspective on A Sweet Meeting on Mimouna Night , please READ HER REVIEW HERE . -- Heidi Rabinowitz, co-admin, Sydney Taylor Shmooze

A Sweet Meeting on Mimouna Night by Allison Ofanansky, illustrated by Rotem Teplow Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Sandy Wasserman Buy at Bookshop.org A lovely historical fiction picture book about a lesser known and more recent tradition to the cycle of Jewish holidays- mimouna, following the end of the Passover holiday, often celebrated in North African Jewish communities, particularly in Morocco. We meet Miriam and Jasmine, a Jewish girl and a Muslim girl and their relationship, though tentative at first, is quickly warm and friendly as they get to know each other, and as they bond over the necessary flour for making moufletas for mimouna. Even after Miriam and her family make aliyah, she thinks back to her Muslim friend back in Morocco. The illustrations are entrancing- both the scenes in Morocco and then in Jerusalem seem like familiar photos. The recipe for moufletas at the end is an usual addition to the typical Passover picture book. This is a Passover book with a twist! This

Striker Boy by Jonny Zucker Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Laurie Adler Buy at Bookshop.org After touring the world for seven years, thirteen-year-old Nat Levy and his father finally return to England to settle down. It is rough going at first; they live in a dump, and have no money, family, or friends. The one constant in Nat's life is soccer, or rather, football, as it's referred to in this British novel. Nat's amazing soccer skills are scouted at a community event for his favorite team, and, incredibly, the team's management illegally arranges for young Nat to get a place on the first team squad. But will Nat be able to save the struggling Hatten Rovers from bankruptcy? There are suspicious, even illegal, undercurrents behind the team's poor performance, and Nat must face danger both on and off the field in order to save his beloved team.  Striker Boy 's strength is as a sports novel, with lots of play-by-play commentary. There is suspense and some espio

D.I.J. Do It Jewish: Use Your Jewish Creativity by Barbara Bietz, illustrated by Daria Grinevich Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Nockowitz Buy at Bookshop.org A celebration of creativity with a Jewish bent,   DIJ: Do It Jewish   inspires kids ages 8-12 to take a fresh look at some of their favorite endeavors and to try something new, as well. This debut middle grade offering from Jewish publisher Intergalactic Afikomen,   DIJ: Do It Jewish   covers seven categories: filmmaking, songwriting, art, cooking, graphic novels and cartooning, midrash, and Judaica. Each chapter offers encouragement and advice from a Jewish expert in that field, as well as ideas on how to begin to tackle a new project and see it through. The book uses appealing, jewel-toned colors and Daria Grinevich’s lovely illustrations to complement the upbeat, easy-to-read text.   Chapters are divided into two sections. The first helps get the creative juices flowing as a successful practitioner talks about where ide