Shh… Shh… Shabbat

March 28, 2016
Alliterative rhymes carry readers through a noisy week that culminates in a serene Shabbat celebration. On each page, Marshall (Talia and the Rude Vegetables) introduces animals taking in the action. “On a hither-thither Thursday/ Thrush hears/ Thumping, bumping basketballs,/ Thundering voices, laughs, and calls,” she writes as newcomer Golubeva’s cheerful digital illustrations show children playing outdoors. A golden dome and other familiar structures suggest the setting to be Jerusalem, and a closing scene of a Shabbat dinner in a family’s “peaceful, quiet home” strikes a gently reverent note to lead into readers’ own observances. Ages 1–4. Author’s agent: Christa Heschke, McIntosh & Otis. Illustrator’s agent: Plum Pudding Illustration Agency.

May 1, 2016

PreS-K-Three new board books, lovingly produced with bright illustrations and fairly simple text. All three are "insider" stories meant for readers familiar with Jewish customs. One Fine Shabbat is about preschoolers Seth and Sophie Fine, who celebrate one Shabbat with their parents during a rural autumnal picnic. It's a pleasant slice of life but ends oddly and abruptly with the children in their beds and the text "What games do you think/Seth and Sophie will play/When they wake from their naps on/this fine Shabbat day?" with the rest of the day still ahead of them. Shh...Shh...Shabbat highlights the contrast between a busy week and a peaceful Shabbat. Sunday through Thursday's settings appear to be American, Friday includes Hebrew signage, and Saturday reveals that the setting is Jerusalem, where indeed the whole community does slow down for Shabbat. Passover Is Coming! shows the preparations and celebrations of a family. The textual pattern is to end each page with "Passover is coming" until the final page, when "Passover is here!" However, by the last few pages, Passover is already here, with the four questions being asked, the meal being enjoyed, and the afikomen being sought. This makes the refrain awkward and inaccurate.

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