Don’t pass over this winning Pesach story.
How does your cracker crumble?
“Matzah day! It’s matzah day! Pesach’s here! Hooray! Hooray!” Bouncy, rhyming text and ebullient digital illustrations bring this cheery Passover story to life. A jolly, rosy-cheeked, light-skinned family celebrates the holiday with matzah at its heart. Even the dog and cat get into the act as the jaunty verse describes how the crackly treat is prepared. Offsay also suggests various delectable ways to enjoy it throughout the holiday; it’s a must at every seder, but it can also be eaten with lox and sour cream, chocolate, or toffee. Matzah pizza, anyone? (Just don’t eat it in bed; it’s too crumbly.) Illustrations of the children perching on hilariously oversize ingredients set a whimsical tone. Though marvelous matzah can be enjoyed long past the eight full days of Passover, by book’s end, many family members are ready to hold off until next year. So who’s ready for matzah day? The tale concludes with a simple recipe: By tradition, matzah must be prepared and baked in only 18 minutes from start to finish! And don’t miss the recipes for matzah pizza and matzah candy. Note also the endpapers, which feature the family members (and cat) peering out through half-eaten matzah.
Don’t pass over this winning Pesach story. (information on Passover) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780823458257
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.
The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.
Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781728276137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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