Shalom Sesame is a series for English-speaking children, which teaches about and promotes familiarity with Israeli society. One character, Moishe Oofnik, is the Israeli version of Oscar the Grouch. He is joined by Sesame regulars Grover and Big Bird in this book, which teaches about Passover. Grover begins by introducing the holiday and then he and his friends set off on an adventure as they head to their friends’ home for a seder. On the way, Grover gets stuck in a bush and Big Bird helps free him leading to a talk about freedom, and a reminder that the Jews were freed from slavery in Egypt. They help an elderly woman with her Passover groceries and discuss each of the special foods used at the seder. Simple Hebrew words such as boker tov, shalom, and todah rabah are explained in context of the story.
It is always exciting for children to see vibrant colored illustrations and familiar Sesame Street characters. There are wonderful drawing of the Jews as slaves in Egypt and of them leaving Egypt with all their possessions.
Background material about the holiday is summarized in a paragraph at the end. Recommended for ages 2 – 6.