Pippa's Passover Plate
by Vivian Kirkfield (Author) Jill Weber (Illustrator)
Sundown is near, and it's almost time for the Seder to begin-- but where is Pippa's special Passover plate?
Pippa the Mouse has been working hard all day-- cleaning her house, setting the table, cooking the meal. Everything looks great-- but her special Seder plate is missing!
Searching through her tiny house turns up nothing, so Pippa ventures out to ask her neighbors if they can help. Bravely, she asks the other animals for help, but the snake, owl, and cat haven't seen her plate, either. But it's almost time for the Seder to begin, so she keeps looking-- and when she finds it, she invites all the other animals home to join her celebration.
A charming story with a happy ending, Pippa's Passover Plate pairs simple, rhyming text with bright paintings by Jill Weber, illustrator of The Story of Passover and The Story of Esther. In bravely facing her animal neighbors, this adorable little mouse finds not only her missing Seder plate-- but new friends.
Filled with rhymes and repetition, this is a perfect title to share and read aloud, just in time for your own Passover festivities.
A final spread with Pippa and her guests getting ready to hide the matzo and celebrate also shows the Passover plate with its six essential symbolic items: zeroah (a roasted bone), beitzah, (an egg), maror and charoset (bitter herbs), chazeret (mortar or paste), and karpas (a spring vegetable).
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School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 1--This simple rhyming Passover story doesn't include enough information for the uninitiated, but would make a useful read-aloud for those already familiar with the holiday. Pippa Mouse is missing her Seder plate. She braves asking a series of natural predators (cat, snake, owl) if they know where it might be--until at last she discovers it in the goldfish pond--and all of her newfound friends join her for the holiday meal. The only information about the holiday is the labeled image of the Seder plate on the final page, depicting its traditional items with the transliterated Hebrew words defined in English. The rhyming text is concise and repetitive, encouraging participation. As Pippa questions each animal, a refrain appears: "Quiver! Quaver!/Shiver! Shake!/[Cats] make Pippa cringe and quake." While the predictability of the text would be effective in storytime, it is somewhat uninspired. The full-bleed, mixed-media illustrations, which were created with gouache, neocolor crayons, and some collage, are lush, brightly colored, and appealing. The art has a naive, childlike feel, and the large images and bright colors would carry well while reading to a group. VERDICT While not an essential purchase, libraries serving large Jewish populations will find this a pleasant addition for storytimes.--Amy Lilien-Harper, Greenwich Library, CT
Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
viviankirkfield.com Alleanna Harris has been drawing for as long as she can remember. As a little kid, she would draw on every page of her mom's legal pads, her notebooks at school, and on the programs at church. She graduated from the University of the Arts with a BFA in animation with honors, and it was during this time she realized her love for illustration. Alleanna finds inspiration in the beauty of everyday things. She seeks to create images that are immersive, rich in color, and have a sense of warmth. She lives in New Jersey. Find out more about her at alleannaharris.com.
JUV002180 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Mice, Hamsters, Guinea Pigs, etc.
JUV033020 - Juvenile Fiction | Religious | Jewish
JUV017120 - Juvenile Fiction | Holidays & Celebrations | Passover
Lost articles
Mice
Animals
Stories in rhyme
Passover
Seder
Seder plates
