Under-the-Sea Seder

by Ann D. Koffsky, Ann D. Koffsky (Illustrator)

Overview

"With overtones of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are (1963), this read-aloud brings a creative element to the holiday. . . . Marine fun and fantasy make for a magical Passover celebration." —Kirkus Reviews

Miri is having trouble focusing during her family's Passover seder. Her parents would like her to sit quietly and listen, but she just CAN'T.

So Miri slips under the table where her spirited imagination can be free, and with her cat at her side imagines leading her own seder, under the sea, with some friendly, very colorful sea monsters as her guests.

Miri sings the Four Questions and whirls and twirls in celebration with her new marine friends. And soon it is time to dance and sing above the table as well, so Miri returns to her parents to join in the fun.

Neurodiversity-affirming. Includes a note for families about ways to add movement, games, and fun to keep children engaged during this yearly Passover ritual.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681155944
Publisher:	Behrman House, Incorporated
Publication date:	03/21/2023
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.13(w) x 10.88(h) x (d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Ann D. Koffsky is the award-winning author and illustrator of more than 35 books, including What’s in Tuli’s Box?, Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor, Noah's Swimathon (a Sydney Taylor Notable book), and the Kayla & Kugel series. She lives in West Hempstead, New York.

Editorial Reviews

During a seder, a young Jewish girl gets antsy. Miri is too noisy, and her parents don’t like the way she "slurp[s] down her grape juice" or "crunch[es] on a matzah." She and Abby, her cat, find a way to flee the boring, long meal. They hide under the table, where a fish embroidered on the tablecloth seemingly comes to life, sea plants grow, and a seder submarine carries the pair under the sea. They find themselves at a seder attended by three wildly colored sea monsters, complete with a seder plate containing symbolic holiday foods. Everyone comes together to celebrate, the creatures, Abby, and Miri speaking, respectively, Sea Monster, Cat, and Hebrew (all translated into English in footnotes) and the others listening as Miri begins the four questions. They then leave the table for dancing. But Miri hears her parents calling, so she and Abby return to the sub and head home in time for Miri to sing seder songs and dance with her family. With overtones of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are (1963), this read-aloud brings a creative element to the holiday. The humorous, vibrant illustrations depict most human character as light-skinned, though one guest has dark brown skin. The author provides useful ideas for actively involving children in the holiday. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Marine fun and fantasy make for a magical Passover celebration. (note to families) (Picture book. 4-6) —Kirkus Reviews

Ann Koff­sky has cre­at­ed a mag­i­cal under-the-sea envi­ron­ment sure to enter­tain chil­dren as Passover approach­es. Like many kids, young Miri is bored and rest­less dur­ing her fam­i­ly’s seder; adult voic­es drone on, grape juice is nois­i­ly slurped, and the crunch­ing matzah is messy. But the world under the table­cloth allows Miri’s active imag­i­na­tion to thrive. Accom­pa­nied by her pet cat, she explores an ocean­ic won­der­land. They meet fan­ci­ful, bright­ly col­ored sea crea­tures with whom they share a seder filled with enthu­si­as­tic song and dance. Miri then returns to the world of her fam­i­ly seder in time to sing the tra­di­tion­al Passover songs, and every­one starts to dance, hav­ing great fun together.

An author’s note reminds fam­i­lies that the seder need not be a long, drea­ry affair. Act­ing, mov­ing, singing, and play­ing can be eas­i­ly incor­po­rat­ed to enliv­en the expe­ri­ence and include chil­dren who sim­ply can­not sit still. (Koff­sky notes that the rab­bis who designed the ear­li­est seders were con­cerned about main­tain­ing the inter­est of all the par­tic­i­pants.) She encour­ages fam­i­lies to think about cre­ative activ­i­ties they can add to encour­age par­tic­i­pa­tion and max­i­mize learn­ing. The art accom­pa­ny­ing the text, with its rich, deep col­ors and humor­ous touch­es, is as vibrant and imag­i­na­tive as Miri. —Jewish Book Council

From the Publisher

03/03/2023

PreS-Gr 1—When Miri gets restless during her family's long Passover seder, she crawls under the table with her pet cat and imagines herself in a seder submarine surrounded by fish, dolphins, sea monsters, and sea dragons. Then her parents call for her to come back to the seder, where she joins her family to sing and dance with gusto. Children will delight in the cute, colorful, and playful cartoon illustrations, as well as the silly speech bubbles and humorous footnotes. However, with no tension, conflict, or plot, there's no real story here. An author's note provides parents with ideas to enliven seder, but the book neither introduces nor reinforces holiday rituals, concepts, or traditions. VERDICT For a realistic under-the-sea Jewish holiday adventure, refer to Esther Susan Heller's Menorah Under the Sea.—Rachel Kamin

School Library Journal

2023-01-12
During a seder, a young Jewish girl gets antsy.

Miri is too noisy, and her parents don’t like the way she “slurp[s] down her grape juice” or “crunche[s] on a matzah.” She and Abby, her cat, find a way to flee the boring, long meal. They hide under the table, where a fish embroidered on the tablecloth seemingly comes to life, sea plants grow, and a seder submarine carries the pair under the sea. They find themselves at a seder attended by three wildly colored sea monsters, complete with a seder plate containing symbolic holiday foods. Everyone comes together to celebrate, the creatures, Abby, and Miri speaking, respectively, Sea Monster, Cat, and Hebrew (all translated into English in footnotes) and the others listening as Miri begins the four questions. They then leave the table for dancing. But Miri hears her parents calling, so she and Abby return to the sub and head home in time for Miri to sing seder songs and dance with her family. With overtones of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are (1963), this read-aloud brings a creative element to the holiday. The humorous, vibrant illustrations depict most human characters as light-skinned, though one guest has dark brown skin. The author provides useful ideas for actively involving children in the holiday. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Marine fun and fantasy make for a magical Passover celebration. (note to families) (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews