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April 6, 2001/Nisan 13, 5761, Vol. 53, No.27
Passover round-up: Children's books
SYBIL KAPLAN
Special to Jewish News
"Let's Ask Four Questions" by Madeline Wikler and Judye Groner (Kar-Ben Copies $4.95 board book)
Board books are wonderful for 1-to-4-year-olds because they have rounded corners and are easy for little hands to hold. In this book, the four questions are asked and answered in simple responses by children in a family setting, and the whole story is summed up in one sentence.
Wikler and Groner, who founded Kar-Ben Copies, have produced the right kind of book for young listeners and early readers. Nicole in den Bosch provides attractive illustrations. This would be a perfect gift to give to any 1- to 4-year-old to have at the seder.
"The Seder Activity Book" by Judy Dick (UAHC Press, $6.95 paperback)
If you have a 5- to-10-year-old attending the seder, run, do not walk, to your nearest book store and buy this book. From the opening page (which shows an invitation to a seder that can be photocopied on colored paper and duplicated) to the last page (where the youngster takes a quiz) this book will be a delight.
Quiet games and activities to involve children who might get restless during the seder are included, yet the children can still follow the leader and learn the seder and the rituals in ways they can understand and enjoy.
This is the perfect book for children around primary-school age; it will make a big a hit before the afikomen (dessert matzo) is unveiled.
"The Family Haggadah" by Ellen Schechter (Viking, $13.99 paperback)
This is a haggadah meant to help families with children follow the rituals and enjoy the experience of the seder comfortably. The book is written by a writer, producer, educator and developer of media programs for families.
It is meant to be read aloud and includes all the traditional aspects of the seder with step-by-step guidelines that even a novice can follow. All of the important songs (with music), stories and directions are included.
At the conclusion is an essay, "How children can participate in your seder." Scattered throughout are black and white illustrations by Neil Waldman, a pro at illustrating children's books.
"Celebrating Passover" by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith (Holiday House, $16.95 hardcover)
This photograph book focuses on Micah, a nine-year-old from Cincinnati, Ohio, who, with his sister and brother, learns about the Passover holiday and rituals from his father. He helps make the charoset and ready the house for the seder.
Hoyt-Goldsmith's text explains all aspects of the holiday; Lawrence Migdale's color photographs enhance the book. This writer-photographer team has produced a number of other books on ethnic celebrations and come to this subject with experience.
Any family would find this a fine addition to their library and a lovely seder gift for a visitor to bring.
"Haggadah" by Gerard Garouste and Marc-Alain Ouaknin (Assouline Publishing, $24.95 paperback)
This haggadah is written by Rabbi Marc-Alain Ouaknin, author and professor of comparative literature at Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv. It comes in two editions: trade and collector's. The trade edition is ideal for a traditional seder.
The 50 original watercolors by Gerard Garouste, a leading contemporary French figurative painter, make this haggadah unique. The collector's edition is offered in clothcover in a box with the trade edition for $250.
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