Paulie’s Passover Predicament

Paulie the moose is hosting his first seder, and things aren’t going well. He carves a horse from a radish instead of horseradish for the maror (bitter herbs). He makes the charoset out of apples and chopped pinecones. And he gets stuck in the basement after finding the afikomen. Paulie’s friends can’t help but laugh at his Passover faux pas, but they love him. “Each thing [on the seder plate] still reminds us of the meaning of Passover—in a Paulie way,” says Sally the rabbit. Sutton’s nudges toward the subject matter are often far from subtle (when told he gets a reward for finding the afikomen, Paulie responds, “I don’t need one.... My reward is being free, like our ancestors on Passover”). But Paulie’s eagerness to get Passover perfect remains endearing, and Vagnozzi’s toylike, apple-cheeked animal cast exudes high spirits and open hearts. Ages 3–8. (Jan.)