(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler. "She made applesauce sweet / for a Hanukkah treat. / She made latkes yummy / and filled up her tummy." A rabbi celebrates the eight nights of Hanukkah with her family in this cumulative rhyming tale. Torah reading, brisket, the dreidel game, menorah lighting, and chocolate gelt are also part of the family's observance. Slightly exaggerated cartoon illustrations emphasize fun, faith, and tradition. This book will appeal most to those already familiar with holiday, which, "as we all know," helps us "...remember a miracle / from a long time ago." An appended paragraph provides some history.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) YA Edited by Katherine Locke and Laura Silverman. This anthology by Jewish authors and about Jewish teens matter-of-factly reflect details of Jewish life rarely seen in mainstream YA. The fourteen short stories also acknowledge the variety of Jewish experience, including some diversity beyond religion, mostly in terms of sexuality. A refreshing opportunity for Jewish teens of many beliefs and backgrounds to see themselves--and for others to see them--in stories that are as much about entertainment as they are about Jewishness.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(3) PS Illustrated by Christine Grove. "Today is Friday. On Fridays I wait...and wait...and wait." A boy eagerly anticipates the arrival of Shabbat as his family members grocery shop, buy flowers, do laundry, and cook. Finally, when the sun goes down and everyone sits down for a festive meal, "Shabbat is here." The cheery illustrations depict a perpetually smiling, interracial family enjoying their holiday preparations.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(2) YA Seventh-grader Ari Rosensweig is the new kid, "awkward, big, different / from everyone else." Picked on and beat up, Ari is drawn to other worlds where characters transform heroically (e.g., Avatar). The verse novel is a well-chosen format for Baron's debut, with his first-person narrative effectively revealing the protagonist"s growth step by step. Any reader who has felt like an outsider will be drawn to this verse novel.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mélanie Florian. Marcy's excited to be the question-asker at her Passover seder, since "she knew a lot about questions. She asked them all the time." But her four questions--e.g., "Are worms kosher for Passover?"--aren't what her family expected. It's a gentle misunderstanding with a satisfying resolution; cartoonlike, emotive illustrations capture Marcy's enthusiasm. The actual Four Questions (and their answers) are included.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) YA After her father's death, New Yorker Ruth moves with her mother and younger sister to Mom's hometown, Atlanta. It's 1958, and Ruth takes to the debutante scene. Unfortunately she must hide her Jewishness (Dad was Jewish; Mom converted)--until a synagogue bombing forces the issue. Carlton paints a vivid portrait of time, place, and family. An appended author's note elaborates on the story's inspiration.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Rebecca Ashdown. Each night of Hanukkah, our pet-desiring narrator receives a gift that makes little sense on its own: "a hard metal lamp," "a squeezy-squirty spray bottle." It all adds up to a (living) surprise, while the family members' gifts to Grandma add up to another surprise that gives the former its name. Increasingly creative latke varieties each night add some eight-nights-is-a-lot humor. Pastel-toned illustrations create a sense of happy family celebration.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Elisa Vavouri. During the Great Depression, Pavel, a Jewish immigrant from Russia, plants trees with the Civilian Conservation Corps and gets to know other Americans from different cultures; some are more welcoming than others. This historical-fiction picture book’s text provides an accessible entry point to this element of history and to themes of assimilation; colorful, textured illustrations are eye-catching, if slightly uneven.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) PS Illustrated by Monica Gutierrez. "On the first night of Hanukkah, / what did Barnyard Bubbe see? / One sack of meal. / 'Oh, my. Who has left this for me?'" A hoof in the illustration and a neigh hint at the answer; on the next night, two cups of oil are left with an oink. Illustrations give way to the cheerful reveal: the whole menagerie enjoying Bubbe's latkes. The pattern in this counting board book invites noisy participation.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(3) 4-6 Immigrant Experiences series. This series provides general glimpses into many immigrant groups' struggles in the U.S. Vignettes (with direct quotes) of real immigrants striving for citizenship and acceptance in America add intimacy and impact to the presentation; frank discussions of discrimination are included. Photographs extend the narratives. Reading list, timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Immigrant Experiences titles: Catholic Immigrants, Indian Immigrants, Chinese Immigrants, Central American Immigrants, Jewish Immigrants, Russian Immigrants, Filipino Immigrants and Muslim Immigrants

Reviewer: Jeannie Coutant

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Stacy Innerst. Aaron Lansky's difficulty in finding Yiddish novels for his college studies led him to collect books first for his own purposes, then for the Yiddish Book Center in Amherst, Massachusetts (which he founded), starting in 1980. Stories of how he obtained them--meetings "over tea and cake and lokshn kugl" with older Jews; a late-night dash to a dumpster--lend both human interest and a sense of urgency to the mission. Painterly illustrations give readers plenty to peruse, with sprinkled Yiddish words and visual references to Jewish history and culture. Reading list. Glos.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(2) K-3 Translated by Noga Applebaum. Illustrated by Yael Albert. In 1944, Francesco Tirelli (a real person) hides Jews from the Nazis--many in his closed-for-the-season Budapest gelateria. While in hiding, teenaged Peter (Meir's father-in-law) creates a menorah using a chocolate mold and cooking oil. The illustrations' rosy tones give way to shadowy blues, allowing the menorah's light to stand out. The gentle, smoothly translated text doesn't offer many details but should work well as a discussion starter. A hopeful tale of kindness, resourcefulness, and comfort in traditions.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(4) K-3 Translated by Nancy Wellins. Illustrated by Yossi Abolafia. In ancient Jerusalem, Itamar searches for a golden bell missing from a garment he’s helping to mend; in 2011, an archaeologist finds it. The ending is abrupt, and back matter would be useful to give context to the real-life find, but the book demonstrates the human stories behind archaeology. Smoothly translated text and cartoon-style illustrations add interest and bring the long-ago setting to life.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) PS Illustrated by Mark Teague. Yolen and Teague's mischievous dinos (How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?, et al.) tackle winter holiday traditions and observances--first modeling bad behavior, then demonstrating decorum. Bouncy rhymes and humorous illustrations of vivacious large-scale dinosaurs alongside staid humans combine for cheery and welcome holiday-book entries; the new slightly-taller-than-usual board book format is an apt match for the stories' outsized protagonists. Review covers these two titles: How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukkah? and How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas?.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2012; November, 2019

(4) YA Naive Ella works in a sewing workshop at "Birchwood," the English name for Birkenau (the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in fact had a workshop of just this kind). Ella develops a close friendship with Rose (with undertones of sexual attraction). Characterization and imagery are among the novel's strengths, though some readers may object to its simplifying and decontextualizing events in the name of "show[ing] universal experiences."

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Daniele Fabbri. Bezalel, an Israelite slave in Ancient Egypt, collects unusual things. When the Exodus begins, the boy insists on bringing his Beautiful Things Box with him. When God asks Moses to build a mishkan, a house filled with beautiful things, Bezalel is the only one ready to provide treasures. Soft paintings convey a sense of wonder in this unusual retelling of a biblical story (discussed in the author's note).

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) PS "BROTHER, SISTER, / FRIENDSHIP faces, / faces of all RACES and PLACES, / we are JEWISH faces." A scrapbook-like format features bright photographs and lilting rhymes depicting the diversity of Jewish people--of various ages, skin colors, abilities, etc.--and highlighting some of their special occasions. Most of the faces are smiling ones; the "just-BRISSED" baby is (thankfully) asleep.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Ari and Kaylan (11 Before 12) return for seventh grade with twelve new goals before their thirteenth birthdays. But Ari struggles to balance her new summer-camp friends and BFF Kaylan, and Ari's parents are having financial trouble. This installment isn't the freshest, but Ari's bat mitzvah preparations allow for authentic reflection on her place in her Jewish community and in the larger world.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ellen Kahan Zager. The Jewish creation story is retold in simple rhyming verses (for example, Day Six concludes: "Creatures that slither and crawl and alight, / Beasts that run wild and howl in the night"). The inventive illustrations use the Hebrew letters that name each object, animal, or person in the text as design elements. An excellent glossary shows the images, the English words, the transliterations, and the original Hebrew words.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) YA When high-school senior Aden tutors and becomes close to her classmate Tate, his connection with Judaism leads Aden to explore her late mother's Jewish roots and her family's grief. Short chapters and amiable narration make for an easy read amid serious topics (a friend's relationship with a teacher; Aden's brother's drug use; difficulty affording college). Aden's search for what's important to her is thought-provoking.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax