Publishers are marking this year’s Passover, which begins at sunset on April 12, with titles for young ones from babies to teens. Authors feature such characters as rhyming kittens readying for a Seder and a curious boy discovering the Moroccan Jewish tradition of adding a ninth night to Passover’s eight days of observances. These new titles for Pesach, all available now, give young ones a taste of the holiday’s history and traditions, from tales of adventure to a board book shaped like a Seder plate.
The Story of Passover
This Holiday House title for ages 4-8, by David A. Adler and illustrated by Jill Weber, recounts the dramatic story of the Jewish people in Egypt—from the arrival of Jacob to the Israelites’ enslavement to their eventual exodus across the desert and the Red Sea.
Baby Moses in a Basket
This title from Candlewick for ages 3-7, by Caryn Yacowitz and illustrated by Julie Downing, which brings a “warm, reassuring” tone to the story of baby Moses, per the publisher, as he is protected in his float down the Nile by an ibis, a hippo, and a crocodile—until he is pulled from the river by the Pharoah’s daughter.
My Seder Plate
This shaped board book for babies to age 4 from HarperCollins imprint Clarion, by Kristen Weber and illustrated by Yaara Cellier, is designed to draw little ones into the Seder—to touch and taste the traditional symbolic foods on the plate and learn their significance.
One More Day of Passover
This title for ages 10 and up from Higher Ground Books, by Rabbi Kerry Olitzky and illustrated by Rebecca Lipson, follows a boy visiting Morocco who joins in a unique Passover tradition there called Mimouna—a day of feasting and goodwill among Jews and their Muslim neighbors once the eight days of Passover observances are completed.
Passover on Everest
This title for for ages 4-10 from Intergalactic Afikoman, by Rachelle Burk and illustrated by Craig Orback, is, according to Brianna Caplan Sayres, “a true story about kindness across cultures, in which Jewish mother-daughter mountain climbing team experience a Seder on the world's highest peak.”
The Passover Guest
This title for ages 4-8 from Neal Porter Books, by author Susan Kusel and illustrated by Sean Rubin, retells a classic Jewish story by the revered Yiddish-language writer I.L. Peretz. The publisher calls it a story “full of hope, tradition—and just a touch of magic,” in which “a girl’s kindness to a mysterious magician leads to a Passover miracle.”
A Purr-fect Passover
This title for ages 3-6 from Behrman House imprint Apples and Honey, by Jenna Waldman and illustrated by Erica Chen, finds kittens romping through Passover Seder preparations before celebrating the holiday rituals and meal with a rhyming retelling of God freeing the enslaved Jewish people from bondage.
Roadside Seder
This Apples and Honey Press title for ages 5-8, by Anna Levine and illustrated by Naama Lahav, follows strangers on their way to celebrate Passover who, after finding themselves stranded by a fallen tree blocking the highway, turn the trunk into a table and share their food, supplies, and diverse Jewish cultures to celebrate Seder.
