New Moon, a beautifully illustrated book, is the perfect way to introduce the holiday of Rosh Hodesh, the new moon, to elementary school-aged children. The author, an “unorthodox” rabbi, puts the women’s holiday celebrating the moon into the context of the Jewish calendar and explains the rituals associated with it through the eyes of young Rose, who celebrates with her mother and friends each month.
Rose enjoys dressing up for Rosh Hodesh, eating moon shaped fruit and cookies, and blessing the water in the Miriam’s Cup. She sings and dances with her mother and friends, lights candles, and hears stories about strong Jewish women throughout Jewish tradition. She thinks it’s spooky when the women howl at the moon, but she can’t wait “until she had her own Rosh Hodesh group.”
The vibrantly colored pen and ink illustrations are beautiful enough to frame and explicate the Rosh Hodesh traditions, which may be new to many readers. A coloring book follows the text, as well as the lyrics to &ldquo:Rosh Hodesh Moon,” a song for the holiday.
Highly recommended for 7 – 11 year olds and their open-minded families.
Paula Chaiken has worked and volunteered in a variety of capacities in the Jewish world — teaching in religious school, curating at the Spertus Museum, and serving on the boards of her JCC and Temple — for more than twenty-five years. The author of I Know Grandpa (Timber Grove Press, 2015), she also runs a boutique public relations consulting firm.
