Afikomen

February 1, 2023
Passover magic. A seder's leader breaks a matzah in half and places it in an afikomen bag. (Afikomen is a matzah portion eaten at seder's end and usually hidden for children to find for a prize.) The family dog grabs it and scurries under the table. Following the dog, three Jewish children magically find themselves, with dog and bag, along the banks of the Nile in ancient Egypt. Across the river, a woman, standing with her daughter, places a basket in the river; it floats away. Eventually, the children discover the basket contains an infant. With the children's help, the baby drifts to the Pharaoh's daughter, who rescues him. The baby's sister and the children bid farewell; children and dog return home. Later, their parents are bewildered to see sand spilling from the bag! The author's note describes the story of Passover, though the book itself is wordless. But children who know about Moses' early life know he was the infant in the basket. They also know there couldn't have been Passover without Moses. It makes sense that this comic-style book is wordless, since children must "recite" the elements of the evocative ink-and-watercolor panel illustrations as if they were reciting the Exodus story from the Haggadah itself. The artist does a fine job capturing particulars (whorls in the Nile suggesting flowing water; children playing with frogs). The protagonists are tan-skinned; seder guests are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.) The origins of Passover, expressed in a unique fashion. (Picture book. 4-8)

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March 1, 2023

K-Gr 3-This attractive wordless picture book depicts a large, diverse, multigenerational contemporary family celebrating the Passover Seder. Three children and their dog steal the afikomen (the middle piece of matzoh) from the Seder leader, as is customary in some families. But when they crawl under the table to hide it, they are transported to the land of Egypt. They witness baby Moses being placed in a basket by his mother and sister and follow the basket down the Nile River. The children rescue the baby from a crocodile and make sure that he reaches safety with Pharaoh's daughter. They then travel back to their dining room and return the afikomen to the adults so that they can conclude the Seder. The author's note provides further information. "When celebrating Passover, we are supposed to see ourselves as if we, not just our ancestors, were the ones to escape slavery in Egypt. It is this 'time travel' of sorts that gave me the idea of linking the generations, Moses' and our own, through a piece of magical afikomen." Multiple panels on each page tell the story through detailed, expressive illustrations. Children familiar with the story of Passover and the holiday customs will delight in decoding the pictures, looking for hidden clues, and retelling the tale. VERDICT A unique addition for synagogues, Jewish schools, and library holiday collections.-Rachel Kamin

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2023
Preschool-Grade 2 Traditionally, Jews at the Passover seder imagine that they themselves were part of the Exodus from Egypt. Cohen and Eshet's wordless picture book takes this tradition literally. When their dog steals the afikomen (a special piece of matzah), three children at the seder follow it under the table--and straight into ancient Egypt. Eshet's visuals cleverly insert the three children into the beginning of the Passover story. There they watch Moses' mother and sister place the baby in a basket on the Nile. As the basket travels down the river, the children follow. They take care to keep it safe and make sure that Pharaoh's daughter finds the baby. At last, they return home, emerging from beneath the table to sleepily finish the seder with their family. The book is sweet and fun, but it could be hard for some children to follow. It's probably best for children with a strong understanding of the seder and the Passover story, or for reading with parents and teachers who can help clarify the action.

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March 13, 2023
This wordless paneled story by Cohen opens at the moment when the leader of a big seder breaks the middle matzo—the afikomen—and puts half of it in a bag, intending to hide it for the seder’s young participants to find. But when the pet dog takes the bag and disappears under the tablecloth, a trio of kids follow and find themselves transported to biblical times. They watch as two figures—whom readers may peg as Moses’s mother and his sister, Miriam—launch the basket containing the future leader into the Nile, depicted in deep blue swirls and striations. At the behest of a grateful Miriam, the children next provide a riverbank escort for the basket, rescuing it from hazards and ensuring that Moses is found by Pharaoh’s daughter. Even readers
unfamiliar with the tale will find themselves drawn in by Eshet’s lyrical ink and watercolor drawings, and the soulful-eyed characters, portrayed with various skin tones. An author’s note concludes. Ages 3–6.

Starred review from March 1, 2023
Cohen's inventive picture book uses graphic-novel conventions and is wordless but for the front and back matter and Hebrew and Aramaic text incorporated into the illustrations. It opens with a definition: the afikomen is a piece of matzo broken off early in the Passover Seder to be eaten at the end of the meal. The varied traditions associated with the afikomen (hiding it, stealing it, play-acting with it) are detailed in an appended author's note, but first comes an adventure that leans into the playfulness of this child-friendly part of the Seder. Eshet's appropriately springtime-hued ink and watercolor panels provide clues (including text in the open Haggadah in front of each guest) indicating where in the proceedings we are. The matzo is split, and as the family members launch into telling the Passover story, their dog hides the afikomen under the table. Three children follow...and find themselves in biblical Egypt among the enslaved Jews and playing a role in aiding baby Moses after his mother and sister place him in a basket on the Nile to save his life. All ends well for baby and travelers in a generally lighthearted tale, but one that nods at the more serious history behind the holiday and at the concept of reliving the Jewish enslavement on Passover. Shoshana Flax

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2023
Cohen's inventive picture book uses graphic-novel conventions and is wordless but for the front and back matter and Hebrew and Aramaic text incorporated into the illustrations. It opens with a definition: the afikomen is a piece of matzo broken off early in the Passover Seder to be eaten at the end of the meal. The varied traditions associated with the afikomen (hiding it, stealing it, play-acting with it) are detailed in an appended author's note, but first comes an adventure that leans into the playfulness of this child-friendly part of the Seder. Eshet's appropriately springtime-hued ink and watercolor panels provide clues (including text in the open Haggadah in front of each guest) indicating where in the proceedings we are. The matzo is split, and as the family members launch into telling the Passover story, their dog hides the afikomen under the table. Three children follow...and find themselves in biblical Egypt among the enslaved Jews and playing a role in aiding baby Moses after his mother and sister place him in a basket on the Nile to save his life. All ends well for baby and travelers in a generally lighthearted tale, but one that nods at the more serious history behind the holiday and at the concept of reliving the Jewish enslavement on Passover.

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)