Review by Booklist Review
In this accessible poetry collection, a family commemorates every holiday in the Jewish calendar. Presented from a child's point of view, Singer's short, evocative poems smoothly convey details of each holiday's activities and significance, along with personal reflections. On Rosh Hashanah, the child shares "apples dipped in honey" with her classmates, "so the New Year will be sweet," and pledges, "I will try to be sweeter, too." On Yom Kippur, the verse has a suitably solemn tenor: "On this day I say I am sorry / for any unkind thing I've done / (even when nobody's seen it)." In Wulfekotte's warm, animated pencil illustrations, the family of five builds a garden arbor during the harvest festival of Sukkot; joins their synagogue in a joyful hand-in-hand dance on Simchat Torah to celebrate the completion of the yearly cycle of Torah readings; and sends messages of love on Tu B'Av. The poems are accompanied by informative, succinct text explaining each holiday's history and traditions. A poetic invitation for all to learn more about Jewish holidays and observations.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A light-skinned family decides to observe every holiday in the Jewish calendar--"the ones we know well,/ the ones we do not," announces Singer's speaker. As Wulfekotte's digitally colored pencil illustrations portray celebrations, starting with Rosh Hashanah and proceeding with well-known and less familiar holidays, the narrator reflects on the meaning of each occasion in a first-person poem, and accompanying commentary fills in details and context ("Shavuot, which occurs seven weeks after the beginning of Passover, has been called 'the most important Jewish holiday you never heard of' "). Unseen cousins in Israel open up the celebratory aperture; from them, for example, the family learns that it's customary to play with toy bows and arrows on Lag B'Omer. As Rosh Hashanah comes around once more, the experiment is declared a success: "Shall we do it again?/ We all say, 'Amen!' " A note about the Jewish calendar concludes. Ages 5--8. (Sept.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3--This book introduces and explores the Jewish holidays using both poetry and prose. Following the Jewish calendar, the holidays begin in September with Rosh Hashanah and end with Tu B'Av in August. Shabbat is included near the end of the book. Each holiday has a short poem and a paragraph explaining the 6 Ws--what, who, why, where, when, and how--of the holiday. Each celebration has its own spread, with soft pencil drawings. The art, while following one family as they celebrate throughout the year, depicts characters of many races and skin tones. Another strength of this poetry collection is that it includes holidays not widely known or observed. These days get just as much space as the holidays that are more prevalent. While there is a lot to appreciate about this book, the poems may be the weakest part. Many of the poems do not have a cadence or rhythm that is easy to find. Often the poems interrupt themselves by adding in an unimportant aside. Much of the text of this book is held up by the information adjacent to the poems. VERDICT While not an essential purchase, this collection would find a place in many holiday collections.--Sarah West
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
This collection of poetry follows one family as they decide to celebrate every Jewish holiday for the entire year. Some of the forthcoming holidays are well known to the family and observed with long-standing traditions, while others are somewhat new to them. Each holiday, beginning with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, is presented with a poem and an illustration depicting an aspect of the observance and the accoutrements that accompany the activities. The poems are narrated by one of the children in the family and detail each holiday's traditions, how they play out, and the child's own experiences (on Yom Kippur, "No cake, no honey / and for me, / no soccer, no TV"). The poet often mentions how "where my cousins live," some of the holidays are observed differently. On Israeli Independence Day, the family sends the cousins photos with the Israeli flag; last Fourth of July, the cousins sent a similar message with an American flag. For each poem, readers will also find detailed explanations about the holiday, including history, references to the Torah, and definitions. The tone for each holiday is appropriate for the degree of festivity or seriousness. Tisha B'Av recalls the destruction of the Temples in ancient Jerusalem, and Yom Ha Shoah is Holocaust Remembrance Day; the accompanying poem speaks of sadness and lives lost but with a hope for mending and rebuilding. The poems for Purim and Simchas Torah exude joy. The family is light-skinned and dark-haired; their community is a diverse one. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A poetic chronicle of Jewish holidays all year-round, with lots to learn and enjoy. (note about the Jewish calendar, web resources) (Informational picture book/poetry. 6-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
