cover image The Family Treasury of Jewish Holidays

The Family Treasury of Jewish Holidays

Malka Drucker. Little Brown and Company, $24.95 (192pp) ISBN 978-0-316-19343-6

The unabashedly old-fashioned flavor of this oversized volume invites browsing as well as close reading of its profusely illustrated pages. Opening with a discussion of Rosh Hashanah, the book continues through the Jewish calendar, focusing on nine holidays and festivals from Hanukkah and Passover to Tu B' Sh'vat (``the trees' birthday'') and Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day); there is also a section on Shabbat. In addition to her own absorbing, clear explanations, Drucker (Grandma's Latkes) assembles a lavish array of supplemental material, with poems and folktales by Isaac Bashevis Singer and Myra Cohn Livingston as well as recipes, songs, directions for holiday-related crafts-even a play for Purim. Patz's (Moses Supposes His Toeses Are Roses) watercolor illustrations, borders, and accent decoration further enliven the collection. Truly a ``treasury.'' All ages. (Oct.)