Awe-Some Days: Poems about the Jewish Holidays

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

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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.)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Presented from a child's point of view, Singer's short, evocative poems smoothly convey detailsof 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