Rosh Hashanah with Uncle Max

PreS-Gr 1--On Rosh Hashanah, Uncle Max comes to visit, and together, a Jewish family lights the holiday candles, blesses the wine and grape juice, dips challah and apples in honey, eats other traditional foods, attends synagogue to hear the shofar, and enjoys a special cake to celebrate the birthday of the world. This adorable board book is loaded with accessible, age-appropriate information that never bogs down the text. Hebrew words and phrases (in transliteration) are defined. As in Livney's What I Like About Passover, the colorful, expressive, cartoon illustrations depict a racially diverse, contemporary family: Uncle Max is white, while the children are Black and other family members have varied skin tones. Along with Chris Barash's Is It Rosh Hashanah Yet?, Tracy Newman's Rosh Hashanah Is Coming!, and Linda Heller's Today Is the Birthday of the World, this is a wonderful way to introduce the youngest readers to the holiday. VERDICT A strong choice for board book collections and holiday displays.--Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL

Uncle Max has clearly done his job, infusing his family's Rosh Hashanah holiday with joy and delight. — Ellen Drucker-Albert, Co-editor, Children's and Teen Literature, AJL News and Reviews; Manager, Adult & Information Services, Cold Spring Harbor Library & Environmental Center, Cold Spring Harbor, NY