Talia and the Very YUM Kippur

July 13, 2015
Marshall and Assirelli reprise the format of 2011's Talia and the Rude Vegetables as Talia helps her grandmother prepare another holiday meal. This time Grandma is making kugel for the family's Yom Kippur break-fast meal. Talia mistakes "break-fast" for "breakfast," so she's confused about why the rest of the family left for synagogue without eating. "It's a fast day," explains Grandma. "It must be a very fast day if no one had time for breakfast," thinks a still-perplexed Talia. Eventually, Grandma tells Talia about the big evening meal and how, on Yom Kippur, "Jews fast and pray and think about how to be better people." The soft, rounded shapes of Assirelli's illustrations help establish the cozy, gently funny atmosphere of Talia's grandparents' rural home, and the pun-driven jokes keep the mood upbeat, even as Grandma introduces the idea of atonement (Talia apologizes to her grandmother for lying about the "lamp my doll broke"). It's a fine introduction to an important Jewish holiday, as well as a reminder that intangible things like forgiveness can be as delicious as the best kugel. Ages 3â8.

July 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-The heroine of Talia and the Rude Vegetables (Kar-Ben, 2012) is back, and she still seems to have a hearing problem. This time she mistakes the Yom Kippur break-fast (when Jews break their fast at the end of the Day of Atonement) for a YUM Kippur breakfast. She helps Grandma make a yummy kugel (recipe included at the back) and is surprised when everyone skips breakfast; she wonders why a "fast day" passes so slowly with most of her family away at synagogue. Grandma finally notices her confusion and explains that it's a holiday of reflection and apology. Talia experiences the deliciousness of forgiveness and concludes that it really was a "YUM" Kippur. This title works better than its predecessor because its pun makes more sense. In the earlier volume, the rudeness of the root vegetables was all in Talia's imagination; here the yum factor of Yom Kippur turns out to be real. Grandma's explanation of the holiday is age-appropriate, and it's a nice touch that Talia not only apologizes and receives forgiveness for having broken a lamp and lied about it, she also looks for more ways to be a better person by offering to set the table. The acrylic illustrations are rounded, childlike and friendly, creating a cozy atmosphere in which Talia can feel safe to admit her misdeeds. VERDICT This pleasant and gentle introduction to the holiday of Yom Kippur includes a brief definition at the back of the book and a kugel recipe.-Heidi Estrin, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL

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