Matzah Belowstairs

February 4, 2019
Two loving Jewish families live at the Winkler house: “Abovestairs” are the Winklers themselves; “Belowstairs”—under the floorboards—is the Mouse family. All the inhabitants are anticipating Passover, but the Mouse family’s preparations are in crisis: the Winklers have put their matzah in a new, impenetrable tin (“Nobody could chew through that,” says Grandpa Mouse), and how can the Mouses have their Seder if they can’t forage for matzah? Leave it to the youngest, smallest members of each family—Eli Winkler and Miriam Mouse—to solve the problem: they turn the ancient ritual of finding the afikoman into an opportunity to restock the Mouses’ matzah supply. Meyer’s breezy, brief text lifts the story, and Engell’s wide-eyed, anxious mice should resonate with readers experiencing their own family’s holiday-related shpilkes. Ages 4–8.

February 1, 2019
It's not a proper holiday dinner without all the ingredients, and a Passover Seder needs matzah. Passover is about to start, and there is consternation in one apartment. Well, not for the human family but for the mouse family who lives in their Belowstairs home. There is no matzah, not even a crumb for the mouse-sized celebration. Grandpa Mouse blames it on the human family's new tin box. The humans proceed with the Seder Abovestairs, and the father hides the afikoman. When the youngest child, Eli, goes in search of the hidden board of matzah, Miriam Mouse watches with great interest. The two meet, and Miriam comes up with the perfect solution--an even split. Passover can proceed for the rodents, and the Seder can conclude for the humans. The human family is depicted as observant, with the men wearing kippot. The mice also wear them. The story is slight, and even with a very brief author's note, those who do not celebrate Passover will not gain any understanding of this very important and meaningful holiday. Meanwhile, those who do may find themselves feeling insulted by its rudimentary nature. The digitized illustrations are colorfully comic in style, but they do not make the most of the difference in sizes between the humans and the rodents. The humans present white, and Eli wears glasses.Not a necessary or even additional purchase. (author's note) (Picture book/religion. 3-5)

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