Around the Passover Table

February 4, 2019
As a group gathers for Passover, Newman and Santos walk readers through a joyful evening. After everyone admires “fresh springtime flowers and once-a-year dishes,” the seder gets underway. There are roles for all, including the pets, who join in the singing of “Dayenu.” The authors don’t elucidate the steps in their exact order—the four glasses of wine (here, grape juice) are checked off on a single spread. But the overall arc of the ritual service and dinner is conveyed in succinct rhymes (“Dip karpas, swish, swish/ Take turns, pass the dish”). Santos emphasizes the sense of a shared experience by including the entire table in most of the cartooned compositions, keeping the visuals fresh by slightly shifting perspectives. While not the most galvanizing depiction, the book does positively model proper seder behavior, with nary a complaint of “When do we eat?” Ages 3–5.

February 1, 2019
It's a festive Passover Seder for two families."With fresh springtime flowers and once-a-year dishes, / Two candles stand straight / See our grand seder plate / At our table for this seder night." A white father, black mother, and their two children join an all-white multigenerational family for the spring Jewish festival of Passover. The narrator, the young son of the hosting family, describes the cushions on the chairs, the wine/grape-juice glasses, the special foods, the water for washing hands and the water for dipping greens, the afikomen for hiding, and Elijah's and Miriam's cups for two very special guests. All this is related with the cheerful refrain: "At our table for this seder night." Those who observe and those who are unfamiliar with the many steps of the Seder will enjoy the details tailored to a young audience--the family pets join in as the celebrants sing "Dayenu," among other side business. Readers hoping for more background information on Elijah's and Miriam's cups will be disappointed, however. The digital illustrations are lively and spirited, featuring many smiling faces and kippot on the men and boys. Young children will enjoy this very basic introduction to a Jewish holiday celebration. (author's note, glossary) (Picture book. 3-5)

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