Passover Around the World

December 18, 2006
In this vibrant picture book, Lehman-Wilzig (Tasty Bible Stories
) invites readers to travel the globe as she explores how Jews from different countries celebrate Passover. While the story of Passover, celebrating the Jews' freedom from Egyptian slavery, is the same the world over, the customs and foods used to commemorate the holiday can differ widely. At each highlighted destination—including Gibraltar, Ethiopia, Turkey, Iran and Israel among others—the author provides a child-centric anecdote or family story, a sidebar containing basic historical, political and geographical information and a recipe from the area. Wolf's soft impressionistic paintings and colorful maps sustain a festive mood and greatly compliment the book's design. On the final pages, the author gathers summaries of the various customs, additional recipes and a glossary of terms. After reading this book, families may well want to add a new twist—or dish—to their own traditions. Ages 8-10.

April 1, 2007
Gr 2-5-Short chapters describe various rituals that are observed in several countries, including the United States and Israel, within a narrative format. Jewish-American children will be intrigued by the practices in Ethiopia, India, Turkey, and Gibraltar, among other places that are not known for their Jewish populations. The child-friendly color illustrations of maps are appealing, but the depictions of various family scenes and foods are less clear and not as successful. Unusual facts and recipes are included."Lisa Silverman, Sinai Temple Library, Los Angeles"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.