Potatoes at Turtle Rock

September 26, 2016
The creative team behind Tashlich at Turtle Rock (2010) returns with another story about a Jewish holiday–themed hike. Once again, young Annie is the leader and narrator; the title refers to her giving two baked potatoes to each family member during a Hanukkah walk through their snowy woods. Annie explains that the potatoes serve multiple purposes: they’re touchstones of family history (as a boy, “Great-Grandpop” used hot potatoes as pocket warmers during wintry walks to his shtetl’s religious school), a makeshift menorah (“Annie, you’re ingenious,” says Dad, as she pushes six candles and the shammash into the spuds), and latke substitutes, eaten al fresco. Schnur and Schnur-Fishman fill the family’s sojourn with snappy banter (asked to reveal something he’s afraid of, Dad replies, “The federal deficit”) while Steele-Morgan’s outdoor scenes capture the chilly blue light of the season. Ages 5–9.