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OLLIE AND TAAVI CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS

Name: OLLIE AND TAAVI CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS
Author: Ellen Press
ISBN: 978-1466287211

by Ellen Press ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 18, 2012

A book that works better as a primer on the Jewish holidays than as a keepsake.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
OLLIE AND TAAVI CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS
by Ellen Press & illustrated by Ellen Press & developed by Customizabooks

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MIRACLE ON 133RD STREET

by Sonia Manzano ; illustrated by Marjorie Priceman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 22, 2015

A scrumptious treat to be savored and enjoyed, just like a fine holiday dinner.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
COMING UP CUBAN
by Sonia Manzano

- BOOK REVIEW
A WORLD TOGETHER
by Sonia Manzano

- BOOK REVIEW
BECOMING MARIA
by Sonia Manzano

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THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE

From the Chronicles of Narnia series , Vol. 1

by C.S. Lewis & illustrated by Pauline Baynes ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 6, 1950

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Although metaphysical rumblings may disturb adults, this wily symbolism-studded fantasy should appeal to children of an imaginative turn. While exploring an old English mansion, the four children—Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy—discover through passing into a wardrobe, the strange land of Narnia, where it is winter without ever becoming Christmas. The children soon are swept up in the terror of the rule of the White Witch, fighting with the other subjects—all animals—and the glorious Lion, Asian, who brings spring and hope with him. In spite of the White Witch's terrific enslavement of Edmund, her horrid power, which changes living things to stone, and the sacrificial death of Aslan, the forces of light win, the children are made kings and queens, and Asian returns to life. The plot thickens to a pretty heavy pudding at the end, but the prose is witty and the novel action is fast-moving. Not recommended for adults!