Awe-some Days: Poems about the Jewish Holidays

by Marilyn Singer, Dana Wulfekotte (Illustrator)

Overview

Discover and celebrate all of the Jewish holidays with this warm and engaging poetry collection by the acclaimed author of Mirror Mirror.

In this cheerful, enjoyable poetry collection, a family decides to celebrate every Jewish holiday for a full year, “the ones we know well, the ones we do not.” Starting with new-year apples dipped in honey on Rosh Hashanah all the way to flowers and chocolates on Tu B’Av (often called “Jewish Valentine’s Day”), readers can explore the joy and meaning of the various holidays along with this lively family of five. A brief explanation of the holiday accompanies each poem.

By an award-winning and beloved children’s poet, this is a wonderful introduction to Jewish celebrations, observances, and days of remembrance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593324691
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	09/27/2022
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	845,114
Product dimensions:	8.75(w) x 11.25(h) x 0.34(d)
Lexile:	AD1000L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Marilyn Singer is the award-winning author of more than 100 children's books, including the much-honored Mirror Mirror and two other books of reverso poetry, as well as Follow the Recipe and Feel the Beat! Recipient of the 2015 NCTE Excellence in Poetry for Children Award, Marilyn, along with her husband, a standard poodle, cat, and two doves, divides her time between Brooklyn, New York, and Litchfield County, Connecticut.

Dana Wulfekotte is a freelance animator and children's book author and illustrator. She is the author-illustrator of Rabbit & Possum and illustrator of the Schneider Family Honor book The Remember Balloons (written by Jessie Oliveros). She lives in Queens with her husband and two rabbits.

Editorial Reviews

09/05/2022

A light-skinned family decides to observe every holiday in the Jewish calendar—“the ones we know well,/ the ones we do not,” announces Singer’s speaker. As Wulfekotte’s digitally colored pencil illustrations portray celebrations, starting with Rosh Hashanah and proceeding with well-known and less familiar holidays, the narrator reflects on the meaning of each occasion in a first-person poem, and accompanying commentary fills in details and context (“Shavuot, which occurs seven weeks after the beginning of Passover, has been called ‘the most important Jewish holiday you never heard of’ ”). Unseen cousins in Israel open up the celebratory aperture; from them, for example, the family learns that it’s customary to play with toy bows and arrows on Lag B’Omer. As Rosh Hashanah comes around once more, the experiment is declared a success: “Shall we do it again?/ We all say, ‘Amen!’ ” A note about the Jewish calendar concludes. Ages 5–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Presented from a child’s point of view, Singer’s short, evocative poems smoothly convey details of each holiday’s activities and significance, along with personal reflections . . . A poetic invitation for all to learn more about Jewish holidays and observations." —Booklist

"Following the Jewish calendar, the holidays begin in September with Rosh Hashanah and end with Tu B’Av in August. Shabbat is included near the end of the book . . .  Each celebration has its own spread, with soft pencil drawings. The art, while following one family as they celebrate throughout the year, depicts characters of many races and skin tones. Another strength of this poetry collection is that it includes holidays not widely known or observed. These days get just as much space as the holidays that are more prevalent." —School Library Journal

"As Wulfekotte’s digitally colored pencil illustrations portray celebrations, starting with Rosh Hashanah and proceeding with well-known and less familiar holidays, the narrator reflects on the meaning of each occasion in a first-person poem, and accompanying commentary fills in details and context." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

06/01/2022

K-Gr 3—This book introduces and explores the Jewish holidays using both poetry and prose. Following the Jewish calendar, the holidays begin in September with Rosh Hashanah and end with Tu B'Av in August. Shabbat is included near the end of the book. Each holiday has a short poem and a paragraph explaining the 6 Ws—what, who, why, where, when, and how—of the holiday. Each celebration has its own spread, with soft pencil drawings. The art, while following one family as they celebrate throughout the year, depicts characters of many races and skin tones. Another strength of this poetry collection is that it includes holidays not widely known or observed. These days get just as much space as the holidays that are more prevalent. While there is a lot to appreciate about this book, the poems may be the weakest part. Many of the poems do not have a cadence or rhythm that is easy to find. Often the poems interrupt themselves by adding in an unimportant aside. Much of the text of this book is held up by the information adjacent to the poems. VERDICT While not an essential purchase, this collection would find a place in many holiday collections.—Sarah West

School Library Journal

2022-06-22
This collection of poetry follows one family as they decide to celebrate every Jewish holiday for the entire year.

Some of the forthcoming holidays are well known to the family and observed with long-standing traditions, while others are somewhat new to them. Each holiday, beginning with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, is presented with a poem and an illustration depicting an aspect of the observance and the accoutrements that accompany the activities. The poems are narrated by one of the children in the family and detail each holiday’s traditions, how they play out, and the child’s own experiences (on Yom Kippur, “No cake, no honey / and for me, / no soccer, no TV”). The poet often mentions how “where my cousins live,” some of the holidays are observed differently. On Israeli Independence Day, the family sends the cousins photos with the Israeli flag; last Fourth of July, the cousins sent a similar message with an American flag. For each poem, readers will also find detailed explanations about the holiday, including history, references to the Torah, and definitions. The tone for each holiday is appropriate for the degree of festivity or seriousness. Tisha B’Av recalls the destruction of the Temples in ancient Jerusalem, and Yom Ha Shoah is Holocaust Remembrance Day; the accompanying poem speaks of sadness and lives lost but with a hope for mending and rebuilding. The poems for Purim and Simchas Torah exude joy. The family is light-skinned and dark-haired; their community is a diverse one. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A poetic chronicle of Jewish holidays all year-round, with lots to learn and enjoy. (note about the Jewish calendar, web resources) (Informational picture book/poetry. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews

Marilyn Singer gives a spirited performance of her collection of poems tracing a family’s celebrations of all the Jewish holidays throughout the year—both those that are familiar and those that are less so. Each holiday is presented, first, with a playful, sweet, or solemn poem, which Singer delivers in a lively, welcoming voice. Then she expands upon the holiday a bit more, giving context to listeners and explaining ways it is celebrated and how it relates to Jewish values. She begins with the sweetness of Rosh Hashanah and takes listeners all through the year to Tu B’Av, with a quick visit exploring the beauty of Shabbat and Havdalah rituals, too. Families will want to return to this audiobook all year long. E.E.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2022 - AudioFile

Marilyn Singer gives a spirited performance of her collection of poems tracing a family’s celebrations of all the Jewish holidays throughout the year—both those that are familiar and those that are less so. Each holiday is presented, first, with a playful, sweet, or solemn poem, which Singer delivers in a lively, welcoming voice. Then she expands upon the holiday a bit more, giving context to listeners and explaining ways it is celebrated and how it relates to Jewish values. She begins with the sweetness of Rosh Hashanah and takes listeners all through the year to Tu B’Av, with a quick visit exploring the beauty of Shabbat and Havdalah rituals, too. Families will want to return to this audiobook all year long. E.E.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2022 - AudioFile