This year’s roundup of the latest Passover picture books includes a number of different takes on the holiday. They all emphasize the joyful spirit of the day and especially the love of family and tradition. Chag sameach to all!
“Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail,” by Lesléa Newman.
Illustrated by Susan Gal. Charlesbridge Publishing, 2020.
It is a well-known fact that prolific children’s author Lesléa Newman likes cats. A previous cat story won the Sydney Taylor Book Award for best Jewish picture book in 2016, and she is also the upcoming recipient of the 2020 Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award. Her 2015 book, “Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed,” presented a true story about a musical cat and her owner. This newest book is simpler, more poetic and just lovely. The lush and large illustrations complement the simplicity of the text and bring family Passover traditions to life.
The pages depict the bustle of a Passover celebration inside a busy household, while outside, a lonely white kitten sits and waits in a tree. Each page shares a few words such as, “Inside, there was laughter. Outside, there was silence.” On the following page: “Inside, a boy hugged his family. Outside, a kitten sat alone.” The kitten and the boy have rituals that mirror each other. “Inside, the boy broke the middle matzo in half. Outside, the kitten split a twig in two.” However, the kitten goes hungry while the boy eats the festive meal. When it’s time for the boy to open the door for Elijah, the hungry kitten peeks inside, and the boy and his loving family welcome a sweet furry pet to a new home.
The illustrator has depicted the large family as multiracial and put kippot on the heads of all male guests. (The kitten is adorable.) The story of Passover and the ritual of opening the door for Elijah the prophet is explained in the author’s note at the end of the book.
“Miriam at the River,” by Jane Yolen.
Illustrated by Khoa Le. Kar-Ben Publishing, 2020.
Another famous children’s author has a Passover book for this spring, and this one is a fresh take on the story of Moses as seen through the eyes of his sister, Miriam. Jane Yolen, who has written over 300 books across all genres and age ranges, has retold Miriam’s story with a lyrical voice of great power.
Yolen imagines Miriam as a 7-year-old Egyptian slave who follows “God’s voice” to place her baby brother in a basket on the waters of the Nile. The blues, greens and browns of the color palette and the fluid strokes of watercolor truly enhance the story of this baby carried on his dangerous journey. The image of a sleeping infant in a reed basket with two youthful brown hands letting him go is quite moving. Miriam, future prophetess, reflects on the rippling waters of the river as she imagines a different parting of waters in God’s future plans for her.
This exquisite retelling of the poignant beginnings of Moses’ life is welcome particularly because it emphasizes the courage and selflessness of the female characters of the biblical story.
“The Passover Mouse,” by Joy Nelkin Wieder.
Illustrated by Shahar Kober. Doubleday, 2020.
It’s unclear why quite a number of children’s Passover books feature mice as main characters. Nevertheless, the thieving mouse in this story doesn’t steal any matzos, as is often the case, but runs off with bread pilfered from a pile of swept-up chametz.
It’s the morning before Pesach begins and the villagers in this brightly depicted shtetl town have all swept their homes clean of anything leavened. When the little mouse steals from Rivka’s house, her neighbors watch in alarm as he goes in and out of various homes, thereby nullifying their previous cleaning work and causing them to suspect one another’s diligence.
Any parent who has ever cleaned a floor and then watched the kids track in dirt two minutes later will feel their frustration. But as we well know, communities can come together when there is an outside menace that affects them all, and they turn to one another with kindness and forgiveness by the story’s end. Even the mouse gets to enjoy a bit of a matzo treat.
“Asteroid Goldberg: Passover in Outer Space,” by Brianna Caplan Sayres. Illustrated by Merrill Rainey. Intergalactic Afikoman, 2020.
For those kids who are drawn to outer space stories, this over-the-top rhyming tall tale featuring a family of Jewish astronauts may fit the bill.
Young Asteroid Goldberg and her family are traveling home from Pluto just in time for Passover, but they are prevented from landing before the holiday begins. It is up to Asteroid to find matzo balls (from the moons of Jupiter) and matzo (broken off from Saturn’s rings) and gather the whole mishpachah from far-off planets to celebrate a gravity-defying seder on the spaceship. The lively illustrations are fun and goofy (especially the space dog) and so is the story.
“Who Will Ask the Four Questions?” by Naomi Ben-Gur.
Illustrated by Carmel Ben-Ami. Translated by Gilah Kahn-Hoffmann. Green Bean Books, 2019.
Passover is coming and it looks like big brother Eitan is going to have to reluctantly relinquish his role as the asker of the four questions — and he’s not happy about it. Little sister Evie is now old enough to sing the ritual song, but, even after numerous practices with helpful Grandma Naomi, she is still pronouncing “Ma Nishtana” incorrectly.
The story takes place in Israel, and the illustrations of a large, loving family celebrating together are vibrant and cheerful. It turns out that sometimes big brothers can be kind to their siblings, after all. This book was translated from the original Hebrew publication.
Lisa Silverman is the director of the Burton Sperber Jewish Community Library at American Jewish University.