A book that works better as a primer on the Jewish holidays than as a keepsake.
Two energetic dogs romp through food-filled Jewish holidays.
Press’ debut children’s book gives young readers a tour of the Jewish holy days. Ollie and Taavi, the author's own dogs, lead the way. The puppies, dressed gamely in their yarmulkes, appear in family photos as they encounter the gifts, treats and rituals of the holidays, including hamantaschen with sweet jelly for Purim and colorful dreidels and menorahs for Hanukkah. Homebound snapshots illustrate the clever premise of the book. Using dogs as tour guides should keep small children engaged long enough to learn about the major and minor Jewish holidays and their tactile traditions, like Sukkot enclosures and Passover afikomen. Puppies saying “sorry” to each other on Yom Kippur? It’s here. Press is at her descriptive best in explaining Shabbat, evoking the anticipation and joy of the Sabbath: “So gather round the table, / with friends and family near, / and sing three blessings / we hold so very dear.” Sights, sounds and, most of all, delicious tastes cavort in the poems even more energetically than Ollie and Taavi—a child’s grape juice for Shabbat, honeyed apples for Rosh Hashana and crackling latkes for Hanukkah—though the spotty verse distracts from them and rarely has the cadence to sustain or cement the ideas they embody. Rhymes, though clearly sought, often fail to materialize. When they appear, they strain. The book celebrates Simchat Torah with the lines: “Today he helps me make a flag, / that will wave not lag.” Its Passover text says: “We walked and walked for years to come / and then found Palestine, the day had come.” These stumbles detract from the heartfelt feelings, obvious throughout, toward the traditions and the physical tokens of the holidays.
A book that works better as a primer on the Jewish holidays than as a keepsake.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2012
ISBN: 978-1466287211
Page Count: 28
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 30, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A scrumptious treat to be savored and enjoyed, just like a fine holiday dinner.
On Christmas Eve, a large apartment house on 133rd Street in the Bronx becomes the site of a multicultural neighborhood party.
Manzano, a Pura Belpré honoree and Maria on Sesame Street, teams up with Caldecott honoree Priceman for this vibrant story. The setting is the apartment of a Puerto Rican family preparing their special Christmas Eve dinner. Mami is trying to cook a huge roast, but it won’t fit in her small oven. Papi and José decide to take the roast to their friend who owns a pizzeria to see if he can help. On their way, they meet several neighbors and friends of different ages and ethnic groups; all are stressed, lonely, or worried about money. When the father and son return with the cooked roast, its delicious aroma transforms everyone who smells it, wafting them along on swirls of contented delight. They all float up the stairs to the apartment for a Christmas Eve dinner, fitting everyone into just one small apartment—a Christmas miracle. The polished text uses dramatic pacing, dialogue, emotion, and characterization to excellent effect. Priceman’s dazzling illustrations are filled with pulsating energy, glowing colors, and the radiant smiles of the neighbors who find community together. A magical, hopeful vitality permeates the art, reflected in multiple swirling elements wound through the illustrations.
A scrumptious treat to be savored and enjoyed, just like a fine holiday dinner. (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-689-87887-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2015
A gritty story filled with hope and idealism.
A young boy is forced to leave the Chennai jail that is the only home he’s ever known.
When Kabir is deemed too old to stay and is sent out into the world all alone, separated from his wrongfully imprisoned mother, he decides to search for the family of the father he has never met to try to save his mother from her unjustly long sentence. Armed with faith, instinctive wits, and the ability to run fast, Kabir escapes danger and meets Rani, a teenage girl from the marginalized Kurava, or Roma, people who is traveling with her parrot. She teaches Kabir, who has a Hindu mother and a Muslim father, about caste dynamics and survival on the streets. She accompanies him to Bengaluru, where Kabir eventually meets his paternal grandparents. Along the way, their experiences reveal the invisibility of low-caste people in Indian society, tensions between neighboring states over water supplies, and the unexpected kindness of helpful strangers. Kabir’s longing for freedom and justice underscores bittersweet twists and turns that resolve in an upbeat conclusion, celebrating his namesake, a saint who sought to unify Muslims and Hindus. Kabir engages readers by voicing his thoughts, vulnerability, and optimism: While his early physical environment was confined within prison walls, his imagination was nourished by stories and songs. This compelling novel develops at a brisk pace, advanced by evocative details and short chapters full of action.
A gritty story filled with hope and idealism. (author's note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11247-2
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: June 23, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
