AWE-SOME DAYS

This collection of poetry follows one family as they decide to celebrate every Jewish holiday for the entire year.

Some of the forthcoming holidays are well known to the family and observed with long-standing traditions, while others are somewhat new to them. Each holiday, beginning with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, is presented with a poem and an illustration depicting an aspect of the observance and the accoutrements that accompany the activities. The poems are narrated by one of the children in the family and detail each holiday’s traditions, how they play out, and the child’s own experiences (on Yom Kippur, “No cake, no honey / and for me, / no soccer, no TV”). The poet often mentions how “where my cousins live,” some of the holidays are observed differently. On Israeli Independence Day, the family sends the cousins photos with the Israeli flag; last Fourth of July, the cousins sent a similar message with an American flag. For each poem, readers will also find detailed explanations about the holiday, including history, references to the Torah, and definitions. The tone for each holiday is appropriate for the degree of festivity or seriousness. Tisha B’Av recalls the destruction of the Temples in ancient Jerusalem, and Yom Ha Shoah is Holocaust Remembrance Day; the accompanying poem speaks of sadness and lives lost but with a hope for mending and rebuilding. The poems for Purim and Simchas Torah exude joy. The family is light-skinned and dark-haired; their community is a diverse one. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A poetic chronicle of Jewish holidays all year-round, with lots to learn and enjoy.