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September 24, 2004/Tishri 9 5765, Vol. 57, No. 4
Books for Sukkot and beyond
JENNIFER GOLDBERG
Staff Writer
After the hustle and bustle of the High Holidays, the festival of Sukkot is a relaxing, fun way to get children involved with Jewish celebration. Two of the following books focus exclusively on Sukkot and the ways we celebrate it; another is a children's reference volume for all Jewish holidays; and the final volume is a Jewish fairy tale that is appropriate at any time of the year. Happy reading!
"Night Lights: A Sukkot Story" by Barbara Diamond Goldin, illustrated by Laura Sucher (UAHC Press, $13.95 hardcover)
In "Night Lights," the Sukkot experience of Daniel, a young boy, is shaped by his fear of sleeping outside in the family sukkah.
"He wondered if the ancestors were afraid, too. Of the dark. And the night. And the scary noises. And bears and wolves," writes Goldin.
The author uses Daniel's thoughts and feelings to explain to a 6- to 10-year-old audience some of the reasons behind Sukkot traditions, such as why the sukkah doesn't have a roof and why he and his sister Naomi sleep in the sukkah. In the end, brother and sister overcome their fears and enjoy the Sukkot experience, as Daniel sees, "through the branches and stalks ... tiny, bright night light stars, and one gigantic night light moon. They were the same moon and stars the wanderers in the desert and the farmers in the fields had seen at night through their sukkah roofs."
"Sammy Spider's First Sukkot" by Sylvia A. Rouss, illustrated by Katherine Janus Kahn (Kar-Ben, $7.95 paperback)
The newest installment in the popular Sammy Spider series finds young Sammy and his mother, Mrs. Spider, observing the Shapiro family as they build their sukkah.
Sammy watches with interest as young Josh Shapiro helps his father construct a sukkah, spread branches across the slats of the roof and tie pieces of fruit from its rafters. He asks his mother if he can celebrate Sukkot, but, "'Silly little Sammy,' replied Mrs. Spider. 'Spiders don't celebrate Sukkot. Spiders spin webs.'"
When Sammy and Mrs. Spider get stuck outside after the Shapiros eat dinner in the sukkah, they decide to spend the night in the sukkah. Sammy gets his wish after all.
The bright, colorful illustrations and simple text make "Sammy Spider's First Sukkot" suitable for 4- to 8-year-olds.
"Jewish Holidays All Year Round" by Ilene Cooper, illustrated by Elivia Savadier (Abrams, $19.95 hardcover)
For Sukkot, Purim and every holiday in between, this bright and cheery reference volume combines history, recipes, craft projects and more for an all-encompassing look at Jewish celebrations.
Sukkot and Simchat Torah are explained in clear, simple language appropriate for a 10- to 14-year-old audience. The major concepts behind the holidays are addressed as well. For example: "Just as the reading of the Torah never ends, neither does the study of Torah. Why would you read a book more than once? The Torah is no ordinary book. Every time you read it, new meanings emerge."
Suggested Sukkot activities include ideas for sukkah decorations, as well as directions to create a miniature sukkah.
"Raisel's Riddle" by Erica Silverman, illustrated by Susan Gaber (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $5.95 paperback)
This Jewish retelling of the Cinderella story recounts the tale of Raisel, a young girl raised by her wise but poor scholar grandfather. When her grandfather dies, Raisel must look for work and ends up as a cook's assistant in the house of an important rabbi.
Raisel is forced to stay home while everyone in the household attends a Purim play, but an old beggar woman gives Raisel three wishes, which she uses to attend the celebration in a beautiful costume. She entrances the rabbi's son with a riddle, and the next day, he announces that he will marry the girl who told him the riddle that interested him so. Raisel reveals herself, and the two are wed.
This book is most appropriate for 6-to-10-year-old girls, and makes strong statements about the value of learning and of kindness, and has beautiful illustrations that are reminiscent of the dreamlike images of Marc Chagall.
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