By
– August 6, 2012
A little boy tells the story of Passover, explains his family’s preparations for the holiday, and describes their Seder. Bright, cheerful pictures decorate the story, with a large flap revealing extra details on almost every page. There is more text than in most novelty books of this sort, and young children may be confused by some of the vocabulary, such as “devastating” and “heritage.” The advantage of the extensive text is that it allows the meaning of Passover to be explored, as when Grandpa tells the family that “asking questions, especially during the Seder, is a sign of freedom. If we are free to ask questions, then we are free to find our own answers.” This liberal interpretation follows established belief and the customary order of the seder. For ages 5 – 7.
Linda R. Silver is a specialist in Jewish children’s literature. She is editor of the Association of Jewish Libraries’ Jewish Valuesfinder, www.ajljewishvalues.org, and author of Best Jewish Books for Children and Teens: A JPS Guide (The Jewish Publication Society, 2010) and The Jewish Values Finder: A Guide to Values in Jewish Children’s Literature (Neal-Schuman, 2008).