The Mouse in the Matzah Factory

January 1, 2002
Engaging as well as informative, Francine Medoff's 1983 The Mouse in the Matzah Factory receives all-new illustrations by Nicole in den Bosch. The story follows a mouse who lives in a wheatfield; when farmers approach the crop with special care-watching over it daily, building a fence around it, etc.-the mouse's curiosity is piqued and he stows away on the wagon that brings the wheat to a mill. As Medoff's plot incorporates the steps taken to preserve the integrity of handmade Passover matzoh, in den Bosch's watercolors eschew period detail to conjure up a generally old-fashioned community, where the streets are sunny and the bakers always smile.

October 1, 2003
PreS-This story describes the preparation of shmurah matzah, eaten by observant Jews during Passover. A cheerful mouse in denim overalls has his curiosity whetted when some men build a fence around a field of wheat and carefully watch over it. The little creature follows along as the wheat is taken to a mill, trucked to a city, and taken to a room to be mixed, rolled, and baked. After he sees families lined up to buy the boxes of "baked circles," he reads a box label that describes how the matzah "has been watched from the time of harvest through the time of baking." The mouse, too, has viewed the entire process and feels "very important." The writing is pedestrian and the full-page watercolor illustrations are uninspired. This title, with its mix of fact and fiction, will not be useful in Jewish schools and does not contain enough information for others who might want to read about the holiday.-Susan Pine, New York Public Library

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2003
K-Gr. 3. Rainbows of soft colors paint the patterned fabrics, the bustling city scenes, and the tranquil rural fields in which a curious mouse's attention is drawn to men giving special care to one field of wheat. The intrigued rodent follows this meticulously groomed wheat as it is cut by hand, drawn by horse, and milled by huge wheels into flour. Then the mouse hides among the flour sacks on the truck that transports him to the city and to a bakery where the flour is made into matzah for Passover. First published in 1983, Medoff's appealing text receives minimal editing, but its pictures are greatly rejuvenated. Gone are the previous edition's matzah-colored pages and unattractive caricatures. Bosch's characters, though dressed as observant Jews, look generic rather than stereotypic, and even Mouse gets and appealing makeover in this lighthearted redesign of a Passover story staple.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)