This Is Our Seder: A children's Passover book
Written: Apr 10 '01 (Updated Apr 11 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Amusing, comfortable illustrations; simple syntax; warm and engaging.
Cons: Presents but doesn't really explain the elements of a Passover Seder.
The Bottom Line: Excellent book for reinforcing the meaning of Passover with Jewish kids, although it wouldn't be easily understood by non-Jews. The illustrations of a loving family are the book's best feature.
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| wovengold's Full Review: |
This Is Our Seder, a book for children, begins with a simple statement: "This is our night for coming together." It ends just as simply, "This is our freedom!" In between, the elements of a Passover Seder are illustrated in easy text complemented by drawings of unusual warmth.
In fact, it is the drawings that make this book special. Illustrator Robin Roraback shows us the comfortable quirkiness of an extended family coming together to celebrate Passover around a large table.
I particularly enjoyed the subtle humor in the pictures: An older daughter sticks out her tongue when her brother misses her hands and the basin and pours water on the tablecloth instead. The family dog sniffs a piece of parsley with an expression of disdain. The children make a ruckus with the "pillows for leaning," piling them high on the chair and jumping on, or pushing them into each other's stomachs, or sneaking up to bop dad over the head.
As a grown-up, I find that Roraback's illustrations make me homesick for my own childhood family gatherings, with their elements of seriousness and hijinks all rolled up together.
The text, by Ziporah Hildebrandt, is easy to read and written in a syntax that seems to evoke Yiddish sentence structure: "This is the plate for teaching, the wine for blessing, the water for washing, the pillows for leaning... the questions for asking, the story for telling, the horseradish for tasting, the sandwich for making..." She only breaks this structure near the end, when she writes, "This is our thanks for all we've been given, the songs of praise for lifting our hearts high."
I enjoyed the simplicity of the text, but I don't think it can stand on its own to teach about Passover. There is a one-page explanation of Pesach at the very end of the book, but it doesn't go into any depth and it doesn't explain the meaning of some of the symbols presented in the pictures and text. For instance, the afikomen, while mentioned in the text, is not explained... and this is probably one of the Seder's elements most loved by children.
In the hands of a knowledgeable adult, this book would be a good jumping-off point for a discussion of Passover and the Seder. However, although appealing, it wouldn't help non-Jewish children understand the rituals, and it wouldn't help less-knowledgeable Jewish parents explain the symbols to their own children.
I highly recommend This Is Our Seder for its entertaining illustrations, and I think it would be an excellent teaching tool in conjunction with other children's books and meaningful discussion with adults.
Note: This review is part of a Passover write-off sponsored by naphtalia. Please see her profile page for links to other participants' opinions. Because the write-off is scheduled for the entire week of Passover, new opinions will be added through April 15. Other participants are robinmichele, telynor, dransome, cntaur5, kurt_messick, djsplendid, adjensen, jo.com, sgentile, mtbat, jankp and quasar.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
wovengold
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Member: Kristin Summerlin
Location: Two Rivers, Alaska
Reviews written: 34
Trusted by: 45 members
About Me:
Life's too crazy. Be back someday...
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