Young chil­dren will enjoy the fun of being invit­ed to Alfie the dog’s ​“Bark Mitz­vah.” The author has cov­ered every detail, from the arrival of out-of-town fam­i­ly to danc­ing the hora, Alfie’s nerves, and fam­i­ly pic­tures. She tells of Alfie’s grand­par­ents’ pride and shared ner­vous­ness before he begins the ser­vice. The sto­ry is writ­ten in rhyming verse, mak­ing it even friend­lier to young chil­dren. The words are sim­ple and suc­cinct, allow­ing even the youngest read­er to under­stand the mean­ing of becom­ing a Bar Mitz­vah. The illus­tra­tions are soft and friend­ly. They help empha­size Alfie’s good nature and the poignan­cy of the occa­sion. The book comes with a CD, with the lyrics includ­ed at the end of the book. The team behind this book has thought of every way to excite young chil­dren about all aspects of a real Bar Mitz­vah — through illus­tra­tion, sto­ry, lis­ten­ing to the music, and singing the songs. Ages 4 – 8.