New Books for the New Year

By JUDY CHERNAK

Time for the apples, time for the honey, time for the shofar and a disposition sunny… Rosh Hashanah is just around the corner. Here are a few new books to help youngsters get in the mood for the Jewish New Year.

APPLES AND HONEY
A Rosh Hashanah Story
By Jonny Zucker
Illustrated by Jan Barger Cohen.
24 pages. Barron's. $6.95.
Ages 2-6.

Charming characters carry the very young reader through the basics in Apples and Honey. We learn the custom of wearing something new for the holiday; of dipping apples in honey for “sweet times ahead;” of greeting friends on the way to synagogue services; of listening to the one hundred sounds blown on the shofar (defined in the back notes as “a ram’s horn…a bit like a trumpet…very hard to blow…takes lots of practice”); the ceremony of Tashlich, when we “say goodbye to the sad things from last year by throwing crumbs into the river;” eating a pomegranate—an old custom gaining popularity again; and going out before bedtime to look at the new crescent moon. End notes add additional information and explain more about a central portion of the services that is always impressive to children, the shofar sounds. Jan Barger Cohen’s pictures are a delight—pastel watercolors of happy people doing things they really enjoy together. This is a lovely experience to share with small children.

AVRAM'S GIFT
By Margie Blumberg
Illustrated by Laurie McGaw.
48 pages. MB publishing. $19.95.
Ages 8-12.

Another book just off the press with a shofar as one of its main themes is Avram’s Gift. How many of us have seen a portrait or photograph of some historical figure or ancestor with a stern look and a long beard and taken an immediate dislike to the scowling face? Mark has had a similar feeling towards his great-great-grandfather Avram, for whom he is named, since his earliest childhood. And, worse luck, that scary picture is slated to hang in the hallway right outside his bedroom in the new home that’s almost built now. By contrast, Mark really loves his grandfather Morris, who will soon be coming for Rosh Hashanah. Mark learns about his grandfather’s love for his own grandfather, the Avram in the picture, and about the gift he received from him as a young man leaving Europe for the New World, in this touching and intriguing story.

The holiday traditions are nicely woven into the story of two Avrams, and they tie together with Mark’s dream of becoming a really good shofar blower in the synagogue, like Aaron Stein, who can blow a tekiah gedolah for 46 seconds. Artist Laurie McGaw’s pictures are flawless—one could step right into them and feel at home. Set in the author’s hometown of Bethesda in suburban Washington, DC, with references to her original home in Baltimore, MD, the book is filled with details that keep the story authentic and nostalgic at the same time. A wonderful choice for those long holiday afternoons, it’s sure to spark questions about family history and legacies left to future generations.

A SWEET YEAR
A Taste of the Jewish Holidays
By Mark Podwal
32 pages. Doubleday. $12.95.
Ages 5 to 9.

Another beautiful book is Mark Podwal’s latest, A Sweet Year: A Taste of the Jewish Holidays. Although small in size, this is no board book for toddlers but rather an intriguing invitation into a land of mystic symbolism, tidbits of tales, and the beauties of the Jewish holidays. Podwal tells us in his Author’s Note that he created the gouache and acrylic paintings in response to an invitation from the Ruth Youth Wing Library of The Israel Museum in Jerusalem to create an exhibition centered around images of food. Later he added the text to flesh out this book. His primitive style pictures are often symbolic rather than literal, so that the reader is not spoon-fed but will have to coax out the connections to the text. For example, the Hanukkah illustration is an olive branch with pink dreidels growing on some of its branches; and the Simhat Torah picture shows carrots (“Round carrot slices…Round the synagogue seven times”) interspersed with similarly shaped torah pointers in silver and pink. We are gifted with bits of legend such as the story that on Tu B'Shvat, the New Year for Trees, “according to legend, trees kiss and wish one another a happy new year”; in another example, “It is said that at the beginning of every Sabbath, two angels visit each home / To see if it has been made ready for this holy day / And to offer a taste of heaven.” Truly a charming book, A Sweet Year is best read by a loving elder to an inquisitive child. A section explaining customs of the holidays is included at the end.

THE SOUNDS OF MY JEWISH YEAR
By Marji Gold-Vukson
Illustrated by Suzanne Urban
Kar-Ben. $4.95.

THE SHAPES OF MY JEWISH YEAR
By Marji Gold-Vukson
Illustrated by Sally Springer
Kar-Ben. $4.95.

For the very young, try The Sounds of My Jewish Year and The Shapes of My Jewish Year. These sturdy board books cover a wide range of holidays, each using a concept that is executed very effectively. Sounds matches one specific sound to a primary custom of a holiday. Rosh Hashanah begins the round with its well-loved sound of the Shofar. Sukkot follows with the “Swish, Swish” of the waving palm branch (lulav), and Hanukkah is represented by the “Sizzle Sizzle” of the frying potato latkes (pancakes). Other holidays covered are Tu B’Shevat (planting a tree), Purim (rattling a noisemaker), Passover (crunching matzah), Yom Ha’atzmaut (a parade), and Shabbat (singing songs around the table and sniffing a spice box to say farewell to the Sabbath). The pictures are cute and engaging so that children will chime in with the appropriate sounds, probably with squeals of delight as they turn the pages. Shapes utilizes primary shapes and bright colors to connect with various aspects of the Jewish holidays throughout the annual cycle. A circle is “a plump Matzah ball wading in steamy Shabbat soup…the shiny red apple I eat with honey on Rosh Hashanah…and the kiddush cup when I look down from the top” onto its purple grape juice enclosed in the shape of a round wine cup. Several other holidays—Sukkot, Tu B’Shvat, Passover, Hanukkah, Purim, and Simchat Torah—illustrate the oval, square, rectangle and triangle while focusing on important symbols that children will recognize. These books will be requested over and over and are perfect for carrying along to synagogue to keep the toddlers busy during services.