The Passover Parrot, 2nd Edition

by Evelyn Zusman, Kyrsten Brooker (Illustrator)

Overview

It's Lily's turn to say the Four Questions at the Passover Seder, but nobody will help her practice. Things change with the arrival of Hametz the Parrot. Clever Hametz not only helps Lily but solves the puzzle of who stole the afikomen! Back by popular demand, the newly illustrated The Passover Parrot will delight a new generation of children.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541517035
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/01/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	10 MB
Age Range:	7 - 8 Years

About the Author

Evelyn Zusman was a noted and beloved Hebrew school teacher in New York and Los Angeles, as well as an author of several Jewish children’s books. She is best known for her book Passover Parrot, celebrating its 35th anniversary in this edition.
Kyrsten Brooker studied illustration at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and began her career illustrating for magazines and newspapers. She has illustrated more than 20 children’s books. She lives with her husband, two sons and dog in Alberta, Canada.

Editorial Reviews

01/08/2018
Zusman’s story of how a chatty bird becomes comically enmeshed in a family’s seder returns for its 35th anniversary with new illustrations and shifts in tone that range from subtle to significant. The narrator is now named Lily instead of Leba, and she seems younger and more wide-eyed than her predecessor. Brooker’s artwork—a dense mélange of collage and watercolors—is decidedly more heimish than the impressionistic ink drawings of the original. But the story’s core remains the same: the parrot is adopted by Lily’s family, is named Hametz, and becomes a feathered sounding board as Lily practices the seder’s Four Questions in Hebrew. Zusman died in 1995, but her authorial voice lives on in these pages: it’s like hearing a story from a bubbe who adores her family—foibles, follies, and all. Ages 3–8. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"It’s time for Leba to ask the Four Questions at the Passover seder. But nobody will assist her. That is until Hametz the Parrot arrives and he not only helps her, but also solves the dilemma of who stole the afi komen – the hidden piece of matzah. This is the 25th anniversary edition in a newly illustrated book." - Cleveland Jewish News

From the Publisher

2018-02-19
A parrot offers dubious help during preparations for the Passover Seder.Lily, who lives in a Brooklyn brownstone, is the narrator for her story about the spring Jewish festival. When her next-door neighbor gifts Lily with a parrot, Mama is not happy. She is busy cleaning the house of "all the hametz, the leavened foods," which are not eaten on Passover. The parrot soon acquires a name: Hametz. Meanwhile, Lily decides to practice asking the ceremonial four questions in Hebrew, a role in the Passover Seder traditionally given to the youngest child. The only one in the house who will listen to her practice is the parrot—who, of course, repeats every word he hears. Finally, the big night arrives, the family assembles, and Papa begins. The afikomen is hidden, and Lily begins the questions. And so does the parrot, who is banished from the dining room. Alas, when the time comes, the children cannot find the afikomen—or Hametz. But everything ends well for the family, and they (and the parrot) are ready for the second night's Seder. Zusman's tale is mildly amusing, particularly for those children who have practiced the four questions; there are no background notes. Brooker's art is colorfully nostalgic, depicting a mid-20th-century Brooklyn and a pale-skinned Jewish family.It's a cute-enough story, but it's unlikely to have much staying power. (Picture book/religion. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews