Best Children’s Books for Passover 2025

April 7, 2025
goodreadswithronna
Ages 0-4, Ages 3 and up, Ages 4 and up, Ages 8-12, Board Books - Interactive Books, Children's Book Reviews, Children's Books > Social Situations > Family Life > New Experiences, Comics & Graphic Novels, Contemporary Fantasy, Cooking & Food, Culture and Customs, Family, Family & Relationships, Family - Parents, Fantasy, Fantasy & Magic, Food, Graphic Novel, Graphic Novel, Holidays & Celebrations, Holidays & Celebrations, Holidays & Festivals - Jewish Holidays, Holocaust, Humorous Stories, Immigration, Intergenerational Friendship, Jewish American, Jewish Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, MG Fiction, Middle Grade Book Review, Middle Grade Fiction, Multigenerational, Passover, Passover, Religious Fiction, Siblings

SEVEN NEW CHILDREN’S BOOKS

FOR PASSOVER 2025

~ A ROUNDUP ~

If only I had more time! This year’s offering of new Passover books for children seems to be the largest I’ve seen in a long time. It was so hard to choose what to include, and I really hoped to cover them all. Please scroll to the end to see other books I was unable to review but recommend.

REVIEWS:

MY SEDER PLATE
Written by Kristen Weber
Illustrated by Yaara Cellier
(Clarion Books; $10.99, Ages 0-4)

My Seder Plate: A Passover Book is Kristen Weber’s debut, and it’s a charming one! This book would have been a big hit in my home when my children were growing up. It’s not only richly illustrated, but it includes interesting seder details for those who are older. At the same time, it can be appreciated as a clever interactive way for little ones to simply enjoy the pictures during the celebration. Traditionally, the seder plate, like the board book, is round, “with spots for special foods.” Each food represented is significant in the retelling of the Passover story.

Open the sturdy book to reveal the seder plate and its contents on one side, a multigenerational family on the other. It includes the food name in Hebrew and in English. One word I have learned in Hebrew from attending many seders is Beitzah, egg, the second food shown. Each food item explained is in bold. The font is smaller for the more detailed portion, which a relative might explain, or perhaps an older sibling, a cousin, or a family friend. I also like how the first paragraph is in verse, which will add to a youngster’s engagement.

“A roasted egg sits on our plate,
warm and round and hard,
a symbol of the cycle of life
and hope for a new start.

The egg can be both a reminder
of the sacrifices Jewish people have
made and a symbol of new life.”

Now that all the Passover foods are covered, it’s time to try them! A big positive about My Seder Plate is that children can keep it with them and follow along while also being entertained by the art and the surprises that await them with every page turn. Chag Passover Sameach! •Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

MATZAH DAY!
Written by Charlotte Offsay
Illustrated by Jason Kirschner
(Holiday House; $18.99, Ages 3-6)

Charlotte Offsay has a talent for writing picture books with rhyme that 1. always entertain, 2. propel the story forward, and 3. employ a catchy rhyme scheme that invites read-alouds. She did it with Challah Day! and succeeds once again with Matzah Day!

This lively written and whimsically illustrated holiday story celebrates the popular Passover cracker made from water, salt, and flour that can be enjoyed in as many ways as matzah is spelled. You can even see it in this roundup spelled matzah, matzoh, and some times matza, and matzo. Are there other spelling variations that I don’t know about? Maybe! But no matter how you spell it, there is much to love about the food that came to be when “The Jewish people fled from Egypt in such a hurry that they didn’t have time to wait for their dough to rise.”

Don’t miss the three recipes included to try with the help of a parent, as well as information about exactly what matzah is, what Passover is, and why we eat matzah for Passover. I appreciated the tight rhyme when Offsay describes the different (and delicious) ways matzah can be eaten as the family gets fuller and fuller. “Like it salty, plain, or sweet? No wrong way to eat this treat! Toffee, chocolate, salted top. Once you start, it’s hard to stop.” Too right. It’s one of my Passover weaknesses, along with matzah brei, a breakfast matzah mashup my family loves year-round. The zany spreads where Kirschner has made the family members smaller sized as they play on the larger scaled ingredients are quite funny. As a feline fan, I also appreciate the adorable kitty added for good measure. What a great new read to add to your family’s Passover picture book collection. •Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

The Mysterious Missing Matzoh

Written by Alan Katz

Illustrated by Adam Auerbach
(Harper Collins BYR; $12.00, Ages 4-8)

The Cohen family is enjoying the Passover seder at Grandpa Murray and Grandma Norma’s home. It is time to hide the afikomen and Grandpa Murray is searching for the perfect spot which his grandchildren won’t be able to locate. However, when he hears that the matzah ball soup is being served, he rejoins his family. After the meal, it’s time to find the afikomen . . . but the kids don’t know where their grandfather hid it, and Grandpa Murray doesn’t remember either! So, where is the afikomen? We probably all can relate to this.

Young detectives will enjoy the pen and ink illustrations, which combine different angles and vantage points, adding both interest and a sense of mystery to the story, which has a simple yet satisfactory solution. •Reviewed by Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili

HAPPY PASSOVER, EDIE ROSE!
Written by Joy Preble
Illustrated by Valeria Cis
(Kar-Ben Publishing; $18.99, Ages 4-9)

Though not new to writing for children, Joy Preble’s debut picture book, Happy Passover, Edie Rose!, is a heartwarming take on the Passover story. Young readers will admire the meaningful relationship between an older woman, Edie Rose, and a young girl, Mia, neighbors in their close-knit apartment building. Edie Rose has created a tradition with her neighbors where they gather together in her home for a Passover seder that not only includes matzah ball soup and charoset but takes them on a journey similar to the one Moses and the Jewish people took from Egypt to the land of Israel.

Early on, Valeria Cis’s appealing artwork details Edie Roses’s seder to-do list along with illustrations of the smiling and diverse mix of neighbors. And, of course, Edie’s adorable red and white dog, Mo, is always by her side. Turning the page, we see memories of past seders with Edie and her friends coloring paper frogs and crossing through Edie’s living room pretending it’s the Red Sea. Mia spends a great deal of time with Edie when her mother works late, and despite being from different generations, the two have become great friends.

Next up, Edie is baking her chewy macaroons just before this year’s Passover. Mia’s mom walks through the door as Edie carries the hot, out-of-the-oven macaroons from the kitchen. Preble skillfully sets up the scene as Mo, unable to control his sniffer and overjoyed by the yummy aroma, dashes up to steal a cookie. The two collide. Macaroons scatter everywhere. Edie ends up in the hospital with a broken arm. Mia, with her caring neighbors’ help brings Passover to Edie. Just like in the Passover story, young Mia creates the best seder ever. “We marched together,” Mia tells Edie proudly. “All of us. Like you said.”

This charming tale with a twist asks kids why this night is different from all other nights, but this year, the answer is that all the neighbors worked together for Edie Rose—a wonderful lesson in kindness and gratitude. I loved how it showed that holidays don’t always have to be spent with blood relatives. Friends are family, too. •Reviewed by Ronda Einbinder

ROADSIDE SEDER
Written by Anna Levine
Illustrated by Naama Lahav
(Apples & Honey Press; $19.95, Ages 5-8)

Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, Benjy, and Matzah the dog are on their way to their seder in Jerusalem when the traffic comes to a standstill. What is the cause of the jam? How will they, and all of the other people on the road, reach their seders? Will there even be any seder that night? A story that keeps you guessing will also keep you turning the pages!

As sundown approaches, Benjy, dressed in his Moses get-up, comes up with the solution for a perfect seder for everyone present. And when it’s time to find the afikoman, the reader is invited along to find it in the drawing. A Passover story that gets youngsters involved is pure fun! Beautiful, inclusive representation of the religious and ethnic diversity in Israel is depicted in the colorful and cheerful cartoon-like illustrations. A letter from the author, words to know, and a recipe for charoset round out this joyous celebration of sharing Passover traditions, even in the most unusual circumstances. •Reviewed by Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili

ELLIS ISLAND PASSOVER
Written and illustrated by Marissa Moss
(Creston Books; $19.99; Ages 5-10)

Sometimes, you read a book that brings you back to a time long ago, and that’s what happened to me as I sat down to read award-winning author-illustrator Marissa Moss’s latest picture book, Ellis Island Passover. The story begins with a seven-year-old girl in a grumpy mood. (That was relatable.) Her family is coming over for the first night of Passover, and she has already been yelled at by her mom for bad behavior and sent to her room by her father for leaving a messy kitchen. She’s clearly not having a good day.

Moss’s evocative pastel drawings of the extended family being welcomed into the little girl’s home include Great Uncle Ezra, who has arrived from Chicago with slicked-back grey hair and glasses. He lives so far away that this is his first Passover with the little girl and her family. She doesn’t say hello to him, but no one notices—except Uncle Ezra. “’What is wrong with my cupcake?’ he asks.” She wonders if he can see she is in a bad mood. He sits on the floor with her and begins to tell her a story.

The story begins when he is nine years old. He’s shipped from Russia to America to live with his brother to escape the intolerable conditions the Jewish people were subjected to in their birth country. My grandfather escaped Russia as well, and reading Moss’s words made me remember the stories he told us.

Life in America had to be better than life in Russia. Once in New York, Ezra was put on a small boat to Ellis Island, the big immigration center. Ezra was given one week to stay there while authorities searched for his brother Mendel—and if Mendel couldn’t be found, he would be returned to his homeland. During his stay on Ellis Island, Ezra realized it was Passover. The Jews on Ellis Island did not have a Haggadah to read, so they decided to tell the stories with a Hebrew Bible. They didn’t have matzoh, so they used American crackers. That night, each of us was reading the story of Exodus and living the story of our own exodus, from the old world to the new, from oppression to freedom. And though Uncle Ezra has celebrated many Passovers since that first one on Ellis Island, this night, he had a new Passover story—his first Passover with his niece.

This picture book beautifully puts into words how Passover has been spent over generations while teaching Jewish children the history of their ancestors. The faded tones and pale palette of the art felt just right for this immigration story. My kids may be adults, but I still plan to share this story with them so they can understand what their great-grandfather endured for them to live in a free country. •Reviewed by Ronda Einbinder

ONE LITTLE GOAT: A Passover Catastrophe
Written by Dara Horn
Illustrated by Theo Ellsworth
(Norton Young Readers; $18.99. Ages 8-12)

Starred Review – School Library Journal

I was not prepared for the wild and wonderfully rewarding reading adventure that Horn and Ellsworth’s graphic novel took me on. Inspired by Horn’s thoughts during Passover when she was growing up, this rollercoaster ride of a story should resonate with many young readers. When I opened the first page of One Little Goat, the narrator, known as the “wise child,” quickly pulled me in when he said his seder had gone horribly wrong. I had to find out how.

Anyone who has ever attended a Passover seder that seems to go on forever will find this novel’s tongue-in-cheek humor relatable. Can you remember your stomach’s constant growling, the one relative who insists on doing things a certain way, and definitely the long way, an older cousin dipping his pinkie in the wine a little bit too much, or never finding the afikoman and winning the dollar coin? These are just a few of the Passover things we have come to expect, all captured over six chapters in 152 pages, though I wish there were more!

We meet the narrator as the seder begins, and the house is packed with family. From our safe spot, like a fly on the wall, we watch as the chaos unfolds. We learn that Dad was originally from the Soviet Union, where he could not practice Judaism, and Mom is pregnant with her fifth child. Great-Grandma, at 98, is a Warsaw Ghetto survivor. And somehow, over time, the meaning of the seder has been lost on the narrator.

To end the seder, the afikoman, or half the piece of matzah that gets hidden early on, needs to be found. However in The Little Goat, it goes missing when the baby sister tosses it into a portal where the titular goat finds and hides it someplace safe in another time zone. But he can’t recall exactly when or where. Without that important piece of matzah, the seder continues for six months! Thankfully, those I’ve attended have never lasted so long, though they may have felt that way. Talk about taking an idea and going over the top! Even more outrageous is that this particular seder is one taking place on top of layers of seders occurring concurrently over millennia. The narrator learns this when that cheeky little talking goat shows up and leads him back in time to seders of old. It’s an eye-opening experience for him as he travels through the space-time continuum, learning about the significance of the Exodus from Egypt and all the hardships the Jewish people have endured from the Spanish Inquisition to WWII where his brave Great Grandmother lived in the Warsaw Ghetto, from Minsk, USSR 1981 where his father grew up, or New York City, 1990, where his mother lived as a child.

I enjoyed how the story’s wicked humor and educational aspect paired perfectly. Ellsworth’s artistic interpretation, in black and white, of Horn’s text is impressive and easy to follow. The two work so seamlessly together that it’s hard to believe that not just one creator did it all. The novel ends in such a satisfying way that I was ready to sit back down and start it all over again. Don’t miss this recommended read. •Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

Picture Book Review for Rosh Hashanah – Measuring a Year

September 20, 2022
goodreadswithronna
Ages 3-5, Children's Book Reviews, Children's Books > Social Situations > Family Life > New Experiences, Juvenile Fiction

MEASURING A YEAR: A ROSH HASHANAH STORY

Written by Linda Elovitz Marshall

Illustrated by Zara González Hoang

(Abrams Appleseed; $16.99, Ages 3-5)

When I celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, I reflect on the year gone by, and now author Linda Elovitz Marshall and illustrator Zara González Hoang have created an inviting way for children to do the same with Measuring a Year: A Rosh Hashanah Story.

What struck me the most about this rhyming picture book was what a terrific conversation starter it is for families and how, per the back matter, other opportunities are indicated where the book can be used including “the secular, Lunar, Islamic, and Hindu New Years, birthdays, and the start of each school year. And, of course, the start of each new day.”

Measuring a Year int1 height measure — Interior spread from Measuring a Year: A Rosh Hashanah Story written by Linda Elovitz Marshall and illustrated by Zara González Hoang, Abrams Appleseed ©2022.

I like how the many ways to approach introspection or measuring a year are presented. A year gone by can literally be measured by how much a child has grown. It can also be measured by friends made, a new skill learned, places visited, and special occasions such as weddings and bar mitvahs celebrated. The book doesn’t shy away from addressing how measuring a year should include thinking back on times a child did something they regret, times they were sad, or even scared. So much can happen in a year.

Measuring a Year int2 new year party — Interior spread from Measuring a Year: A Rosh Hashanah Story written by Linda Elovitz Marshall and illustrated by Zara González Hoang, Abrams Appleseed ©2022.

Hoang’s inclusive, diverse illustrations, were rendered using “watercolor, colored pencils, and a bit of Photoshop magic” and are rich with children of all abilities. In terms of Jewish symbols, I spotted a Menorah, a Sukkah, a dreidel, a Jewish Star, and people wearing yarmulkes. During this high holy day when we have the chance to start anew, many Jews eat honey cake and dip apples in honey for a sweet new year. The delicious-looking endpapers were designed with this tradition in mind. Between the joyful art and the gentle tone, Measuring a Year is a thoughtful and easy way for kids to understand and appreciate the significance of Rosh Hashanah and welcome addition to any Jewish holiday book collection.

Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

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Kids Picture Book Review – Sweet Tamales for Purim

SWEET TAMALES FOR PURIM

Written by Barbara Bietz

Illustrated by John Kanzler

(August House Little Folk; $8.95; Ages 4-8)

Purim is just around the corner! To celebrate this joyful Jewish festival in the 19th century, people of various backgrounds traveled by horse and buggy, and some by train, in Sweet Tamales for Purim, written by the award-winning team of writer Barbara Bietz and illustrator John Kanzler. This delightful and diverse picture book tells the story of a community coming together to combine cultural and religious traditions in a small southwestern town.

Kanzler’s illustrations of the bright blue sky and drawings of characters dressed in clothes from the 1800s introduce the reader to a time long ago reminding us that family traditions remain. The excitement on our main character Rebecca’s face is shown as she places Purim Party posters on the town walls, with her best friend Luis and her goat Kitzel, as old men from the town look on.

Sweet Tamales spread 1[2] — Interior spread from Sweet Tamales for Purim written by Barbara Bietz and illustrated by John Kanzler, August House ©2020.

“We wear costumes on Purim,” Rebecca explains to Luis as her mother sews a crown of flowers for her head. Luis is not familiar with Purim “since his family celebrates different holidays from mine.” Bietz changes settings taking the reader through the story of the Evil Haman who plotted to harm the Jews in the city of Shushan. Through chalkboard drawings, Rebecca shows Luis Queen Esther’s Uncle Mordecai and Haman’s plot. Luis learns how the Jewish people were saved.

“When someone says Haman’s name during Purim, there’s lots of booing and shouting,” Rebecca explains to Luis. “Rebecca, can I bring my maracas?” Luis asked. “Maracas are perfect for Purim. Together, we’ll make lots of noise.”

After removing the delicious smelling sweet treat of hamantaschen from the oven, Luis and Rebecca go outside to play marbles. The story takes an unexpected turn when both Kitzel the goat and the hamantaschen go missing! (If you have a pet you probably figured this part out by now.) Purim was ruined, but Rebecca was determined to fix it. The reader anxiously turns the page to a new family tradition as Luis’s mama introduces us to her family’s tradition of Sweet Tamales. “Sweet Tamales for Purim!”

“When the husks were soft, Luis showed me how to spread the mixture on the corn husks and fill them with raisins and more sugar and cinnamon. His mama steamed the tamales in a giant pot.”

Sweet Tamales Spread 20-21 — Interior spread from Sweet Tamales for Purim written by Barbara Bietz and illustrated by John Kanzler, August House ©2020.

Bietz’s descriptive words and Kanzler’s real-life drawings welcome the reader into a time long ago. Adults and children alike see what happens when we all come together through kindness in both the past and the present. This beautifully told story about two children from different backgrounds is a great read about inclusion and reminds us how beautiful a town can be when people come together as one. Eating both hamantaschen and sweet tamales on Purim is a great idea! The Author’s Note explains the story of the late pioneers who settled in the Southwest where life was lonely and isolated. Bietz explains how her story was inspired by a true event that occurred in 1886 when the Hebrew Ladies Benevolent Society of Tucson, Arizona, planned a Purim Ball for the entire community. I learned something I did not know about Purim in the 1800s. I know this will be a great read for both Jewish and non-Jewish children.

Reviewed by Ronda Einbinder

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Best Hanukkah Books 2016 – A Roundup

December 15, 2016
goodreadswithronna
Ages 1-4, Ages 3-8, Ages 5-9, Animals, Animals - Cows, Children's Book Reviews, Hanukkah, Holidays & Festivals - Jewish Holidays, Juvenile Fiction

BEST CHILDREN’S BOOKS FOR HANUKKAH
A Roundup by Ronna Mandel

Hanukkah Delight!
Written by Lesléa Newman
Illustrated by Amy Husband
(Kar-Ben; $5.99, Ages 1-4)

An array of adorable animals including a bunny family celebrate Hanukkah in this cheerfully illustrated 12-page board book. Hanukkah Delight! offers a rollicking rhyming read for the littlest ones on your holiday list as it details all the joyous events leading up to and during the Festival of Lights such as:
Friends and neighbors to invite,
Ancient blessings we recite.
Gleaming candles burning bright,
Crispy latkes taste just right.

A Hanukkah With Mazel
Written by Joel Edward Stein
Illustrated by Elisa Vavouri
(Kar-Ben; $17.99 Hardcover, $7.99 Paperback, $6.99 eBook, Ages 3-8)

Debut picture book author, Joel Edward Stein, introduces readers to Misha, a kindly but poor artist who discovers a hungry cat in his barn that he names Mazel (Hebrew/Yiddish meaning luck). Misha share the little bit of milk he has with his new feline friend and together the companions celebrate the start of Hanukkah. Despite having no money to Hanukkah candles, the artist comes up with a clever way to light the menorah. He’ll paint the candles on a canvas! Soon he even runs low on paints, but not before reaching the eighth and final night of the holiday. Just then a peddler arrives and, as fate would have it, he turns out to be Mazel’s owner. But rather than reclaim his pet, this beneficent traveling merchant has a plan to make everyone happy while delivering some much needed Hanukkah luck. Vavouri’s watercolor illustrations, convey a folkloric feel while also accurately depicting Misha’s hand-to-mouth existence in an old Eastern European Jewish community called Grodno. Written with care, A Hanukkah With Mazel is flawless storytelling that is beautifully presented. It’s not only heartwarming with its surprise happy ending, but certain to become a timeless treasure for families to return to every holiday season.

Yitzi and the Giant Menorah
Written and illustrated by Richard Ungar
(Tundra Books; $16.99, Ages 5-9)

The townspeople of Chelm, a storied village from Jewish folklore, wonder how they should properly thank the Mayor of Lublin after receiving the gift of a giant menorah on Hanukkah eve. Although everyone seems to have an idea that befits the prestige of mayor, nothing ends up turning out well. Latkes that are cooked for the mayor get eaten before they’re even given to him, pristine Chelm snow melts into water, and a beautifully carved dreidel points Yitzi’s father Avrum in the wrong direction so that he never makes it to Lublin! While all this is playing out over the first seven nights of Hanukkah, no one is paying attention to Yitzi who believes he has figured out the ideal way to thank the Mayor. When at last all options are exhausted, Yitzi’s thoughtful idea is a treat for everyone to behold, especially the Mayor of Lublin. There, atop a steep hill, the frail old man had to stop when he heard music floating in the air from afar and dancing lights shone in the night sky. “Something on a distant hill filled his heart with joy.” Between the easy to follow story (its variety of interesting characters makes it a terrific read-aloud) and the vibrant water color and colored pencil artwork, Yitzi and the Giant Menorah is a welcome addition to the Hanukkah books available for families to enjoy.

Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

For your tweens, don’t miss my review of Dreidels on the Brain, another great read to buy this year.

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Talia and the Very Yum Kippur by Linda Elovitz Marshall

TALIA AND THE VERY YUM KIPPUR
Written by Linda Elovitz Marshall
Illustrated by Francesca Assirelli
(Kar-Ben Publishing; Hardcover, $17.99; Paperback, $7.99, Ages 3-8)

When I was a little girl, probably the same age as the main character in Talia and the Very Yum Kippur, I always thought that Yom Kippur was actually called “Yum” Kippur, at least that’s how everyone in my family pronounced this most holy of Jewish holidays. So, I couldn’t believe it’s taken this long for someone to write a “pun-driven story of misheard words and malapropisms” like this “Yum” Kippur themed story, but I’m glad that at last someone has!

Author Linda Elovitz Marshall who, according to this picture book’s jacket flap, “raised her four children, a small flock of sheep, … on a farm in a historic farmhouse overlooking the Hudson River in upstate New York,” has chosen a similar setting for this charming tale. Only this farm’s inhabitants are Talia’s grandparents. Talia happily helps her grandmother prepare the food for the traditional Break Fast, a meal beginning at sundown immediately following a 24 hour fast of atonement by those over age 13.

The whole time Talia’s helping her grandmother, she’s thinking that the food-in-the-works is for breakfast, the morning meal, having misunderstand the correct name of the holiday. Talia’s confusion begins early on in the story and deliciously builds which will keep children turning the pages to see how everything works out. Who can blame a little girl for eagerly awaiting what she hopes will be the “Yum” Kippur breakfast of scrumptious kugel along with all the other tasty dishes?

The best part about Talia and the Very Yum Kippur is that, in addition to the humor of the play on words, Marshall introduces young readers to the meaning of this important holiday “… when Jews fast and pray and think about how to be better people.” While we fast, we take the time to think about our transgressions and pray for forgiveness. After learning this from her grandmother, Talia digs deep and apologizes for a lamp she had broken but had blamed on her doll. Grandma, too, asks for forgiveness for having yelled at her granddaughter upon seeing the broken lamp.

Assirelli serves up a selection of gorgeous folkish-looking spreads that pair beautifully with Marshall’s prose. Since Yom Kippur is in the fall, the artist has chosen autumn hues to pepper the pages making this special season come alive.

“Thanks to Talia and her grandmother, they all enjoyed a very sweet YUM Kippur.” And speaking of sweet, don’t miss the yummy recipe for Talia’s YUM Kippur Kugel included in the back matter!

Reviewed by Ronna Mandel

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The Jewish New Year is Almost Here!

August 21, 2013
goodreadswithronna
Ages 3-8, Children's Book Reviews, Children's Books > Social Situations > Family Life > New Experiences, Juvenile Fiction

WHAT A WAY TO START A YEAR:

A ROSH HASHANAH STORY

Written by Jacqueline Jules

Illustrated by Judy Stead

(Kar-Ben Publishing; Ages 3-8)

This picture book by Jacqueline Jules with illustrations by Judy Stead, is a wonderful way to share at the High Holidays. Between Jules’s realistic and readable text to Stead’s vibrant and expressive illustrations, this picture book would make a welcome addition to any family’s book collection. A bonus is that the dad, who is not Jewish, loves celebrating the holidays making this story ideal for interfaith families.

It’s Murphy’s Law around Dina’s house as everything that can go wrong does go wrong before the New Year celebration. First, the family has just moved to a new town and is living out of boxes. It’s just not the same as when they lived in Greenville. When they decide to drive the two hours to Greenville to visit the Kaplans, old family friends, one unlucky event after another begins to work against them. Harry forgets his special pillow, Mom locks her key in the house, the car gets a flat tire, grape juice spills all over the floor and someone always exclaims, “What a way to start a new year!”

And while these kids who have just relocated to a new home and new city may compare and complain, it’s not uncommon considering the circumstances. They did not want leftover pizza for their New Year meal! They pined for their round challah and brisket. And the Kaplans, of course, because they were a known entity. Change is never easy.

When Dad accepts an invitation to meet Alan Levine, a work colleague, at the local synagogue for Rosh Hashanah services, Harry and Dina are delighted to meet Mr. Levine’s grandchildren. It’s not long before Murphy’s Law is history and this young family is joining the Levines for a joyous holiday dinner. “What a wonderful way to start a new year!”