It's a mitzvah, Grover!

PreS-In the first title, Big Bird joins Grover in Israel for Passover. As the two friends make their way across town to join Brosh's Seder, the details of the holiday are neatly worked into the action with Big Bird freeing Grover from a sticker bush (as the Jews were freed from slavery) and the pair hurrying to dinner (as the Hebrews hurried from Egypt without time for their bread to rise). It's Moishe Oofnik to the rescue when he gives them a ride to Brosh's house after a promise of plenty of bitter herbs to eat. "I love this stuff," he exclaims with watering eyes. In the second title, Grover learns about the concept of tikkun olam by helping Avigail, Brosh, and Mahboub with the mitzvah of cleaning up a playground after a storm. Even Moishe Oofnik participates in the good deeds by separating recyclables from the trash his friends bring him. Both books are brightly illustrated and explain Jewish concepts clearly, simply, and without condescension. Solid purchases for Jewish preschool programs and other preschools wishing to introduce Jewish holidays and practice.-Martha Link Yesowitch, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Sesame Street characters in Israel relate two stories involving doing good deeds. In Mitzvah, Grover and friends clean up a playground after a storm, though Moishe the grouch hesitates to participate. In Passover, Big Bird joins Grover and learns about Passover as they do mitzvot en route to a seder. The tone is un-preachy and preschoolers will recognize the friendly cast of characters. [Review covers these Shalom Sesame titles: Grover and Big Bird's Passover Celebration and It's a Mitzvah, Grover!.] (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Can a book do its job too well? The story is basic enough: Grover and his Israeli friends want to clean up a playground. Moishe Oofnik refuses to help them, because he's a grouch. (He lives in a trash can like Oscar, his American cousin on Sesame Street.) But Moishe is more than willing to accept the discarded trash from the play area. He even weeds out the items that aren't garbage. "Recycling is a mitzvah!" Grover says, to Moishe's chagrin. "Moishe, you are doing a mitzvah." Oddly, though, the simple plot is interrupted, halfway through the book, for a lesson in color theory. As the Muppets paint the swing and slide, they talk about the colors they've chosen. Mahboub has picked yellow, "like sunflowers, loquats, lemons, and grapefruit." Mahboub goes on to explain that yellow and blue make green. The characters even teach some Hebrew words. Doing a mitzvah is helpfully--if not quite correctly--translated as doing "something nice for others." It's hard to fault a book for teaching too many valuable lessons. But after four straight pages, the lecture on colors turns into a distraction. Still, talking about colors is perfectly in character for Muppets. (Grover's friends come from Shalom Sesame, set in Israel.) And when readers take a look at the seesaw, painted in rainbow colors, they may forgive everything. Mitzvahs galore for Muppet lovers. (Picture book. 2-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.