WHO BROUGHT THE HAMANTASCHEN?

It’s time for the Purim party—wear your costume, and bring something delicious to eat!

Each page of this board book presents a child dressed in a single-hued costume and carrying a food item to match. The getups vary, with some children dressing as participants from the Purim tale and some in different imaginative or amusing creations. Lily is Queen Esther, dressed in red and displaying a bowl of apples. Nora is an orange butterfly, offering papayas. Ava is a frog with green grapes. And then there’s Leo, holding several yellow bananas and wearing a hamantaschen costume. So who does bring the hamantaschen? After all the items have been presented, the title question is asked and answered. Here comes a pair of loving grandparents—one wears a Purim party hat and waves a grager, or noisemaker—both displaying a large plate of the perfectly triangular jelly-filled treats. Everyone gathers around the festive balloon-decorated table to enjoy all the colorful foods. Making use of flat, simple shapes, the book brims with visual appeal as each vivid, clearly named color is introduced to young readers, but only readers familiar with Purim—or who have a knowledgeable grown-up nearby to explain—will be able to understand the Purim connections. Characters vary in terms of skin tone and hair color.

A charming introduction to colors, set against the backdrop of a happy, child-centered holiday.