Appealing board books can sell anything to tots, if the adorable works. This new one is a good one. The topic is a piece of Passover tradition: matzah. In quick order author Tilda Balsley describes matzah, explains how it got that way, shows what it means to Jews and how it fits into the Seder service including hunting for the afikomen (note: for fun, not prizes) and, of course, mentions eating matzah endlessly for a week. This breathless rush of information (no bored listeners here) arrives in couplets that stay in meter; only one struggles with its rhyme. Except for the last page, the text is not up to Balsley’s usual clever rhyming; however, the rhymes suffice for the age group. The warm, joyous illustrations rush all over, tirelessly, just like the targeted audience. Perfect for greasy hands and teeth tempted to chew, this latest addition to the board book pile has “lotsa” pluses: more content than most, well told, well organized, well thought-out, well drawn. It contains sound information in a captivating way and is recommended for ages 2 – 4
Ellen G. Cole, a retired librarian of the Levine Library of Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles, is a past judge of the Sydney Taylor Book Awards and a past chairperson of that committee. She is a co-author of the AJL guide, Excellence in Jewish Children’s Literature. Ellen is the recipient of two major awards for contribution to Judaic Librarianship, the Fanny Goldstein Merit Award from the Association of Jewish Libraries and the Dorothy Schroeder Award from the Association of Jewish Libraries of Southern California. She is on the board of AJLSC.
