Holiday Tales

Many new Passover books are written for the diversity
curricula in day-care centers and kindergartens. Designed to introduce the
holiday to non-Jewish children and produced with non-Jewish illustrators and
editors, some of them are problematic for Jewish readers. Three excellent books
stand out from the pack.

Varda Livney’s “What I Like About Passover” (Little Simon,
2002, $4.99) is a simple board book. Small and sturdy enough for toddlers, the
book has engaging pictures and a very simple story line.

Each page introduces something special about the seder: the
holiday candles, seder plate, “Four Questions” and more. A multigenerational
family is shown, including a child of color. Radiating love and joy, this book
is great preparation for the toddler who will be attending a seder.

Children ages 3-7 will enjoy Emily Sper’s “The Passover
Seder: Touch, Turn, Open and Learn!” (Cartwheel Books, 2003, $9.99). The seder
plate turns, the Haggadah opens “back to front” like a real Hebrew book, the
matzah cover lifts and the afikomen can be “broken.”

The use of Hebrew, in Hebrew type and transliterated, gives
the beginning Hebrew student a challenge. The Hebrew pronunciation key includes
suggestions for saying a proper Hebrew “ch” sound, and the author explains that
there are different ways to pronounce the same words. Extra details that young
sedergoers might not know abound, such as the fact that matzah is made in less
than 18 minutes.

Sper writes as though she and the reader are recalling an
Exodus in which they participated: “We walked on the bottom of the sea until we
reached the other side. We were free! We were safe!” Besides being fun, this
book has a uniquely personal feel that reaches right to the heart and soul of
its readers.

The “Mouse in the Matzah Factory,” by Francine Medoff
(Kar-Ben Publishing, $6.95) is the story of a curious mouse who learns about
the production of shmura matzah. This matzah is carefully watched from ripening
to manufacture in order to ensure that water doesn’t cause fermentation.

In the last few years, round, handmade shmura matzah has
become available in many supermarkets across the country. This book answers
children’s questions about this traditional matzah.

In this reissue of a book first published in 1983, the new
illustrations are disappointing. The bakers could easily be Italians preparing
cannoli. The illustrator missed a wonderful opportunity to introduce children
to the Orthodox Jews who actually bake these special matzahs.

 Jewish features on the faces, yarmulkes and full beards for
the men and traditional no-hair-showing head coverings for the women would have
been much more accurate and could still have been charming. In spite of this
shortcoming, this book is an enjoyable and informative read for young boys and
girls.

For older readers, there is “Too Young for Yiddish”
(Tailwinds, 2002, $15.95)Â It is such a great book that even though it’s not
about Passover, it needs a mention. The story is about a boy’s interest in the
language of his ancestors.

Zayde thinks Aaron doesn’t need to know Yiddish, but as he
grows up, Aaron comes to appreciate the role of language in identity. The
balancing act of our immigrant forefathers, who stood with one foot in each
world, is clearly shown by Zayde and his relationships with Aaron and with the
language of his youth.

Filled with Jewish history and culture, Richard Michelson’s
text incorporates many Yiddish words written in transliteration. The
illustrations by Neil Waldman have the rusty cast of old sepia photos. Pictures
of the “old country” look like Roman Vishniac photos come to life.

Besides a glossary, the book has two afterwords. One is
about the Yiddish language. The second is about Aaron Lansky, founder of the
National Yiddish Book Center. Most wonderful of all, this book is printed
“backward” in the manner of Yiddish and Hebrew books.

This book belongs in the library of every Jewish child
between 7 and 10 years old. Â