The Story of Passover

by David A. Adler, Jill Weber (Illustrator)

Overview

On Passover, Jewish people all over the world celebrate their freedom from slavery and their beginnings as a great nation. 

This simple introduction to the Passover story pairs an engaging retelling with bold illustrations, perfect for young readers.

One of the most significant holidays in Jewish tradition, Passover commemorates Moses leading his people out of slavery in Egypt.  The Story of Passover recounts the major events of the story in dramatic but accessible language, from Jacob settling in Egypt to the miraculous parting of the Red Sea. 

The text and images have been vetted for accuracy by a rabbinical authority, and the book includes an author's note about the modern Passover celebration, the seder, and how the different parts of the meal symbolize elements of the story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823433049
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	01/15/2015
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	286,830
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

David A. Adler has won many awards, including a Sydney Taylor Book Award, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor,the New York Knickerbocker Award, a Golden Kite Honor, and an Orbis Pictus Award Honor. You can visit his website at www.davidaadler.com.

Jill Weber is a children's book illustrator and a book designer. Her paintings for Eric A. Kimmel's retelling of Even Higher were praised by Kirkus Reviews for their "guileless charm," and the book received an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award. She lives in New Hampshire.

Editorial Reviews

02/17/2014
Hewing closely to the magid (“the telling”) of the Passover story, Adler (who previously teamed up with Weber for The Story of Hanukkah) begins with Jacob’s arrival in Egypt and ends with the Israelites’ jubilant celebration on banks of the Red Sea. There’s a lovely counterpoint between his just-the-facts storytelling (“Should I get you someone to help you with the baby?” Miriam asks Pharaoh’s daughter. “Yes,” she replies) and Weber’s often poignant acrylic artwork, which draws on the exuberant palette and stylized, composite perspective of ancient Egyptian painting. In one of many impressive spreads, the fourth and fifth plague are combined (“Animals ran wild. The Egyptians’ cattle became terribly sick and died”) into a kind of “Peaceable Kingdom” gone off the rails, mixing dead cows with a menagerie of creatures in various states of gleeful rapaciousness. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"A good choice for children who are attending Passover seders and want to know more. An author's note explains what happens at a seder."—Booklist

From the Publisher

04/01/2014
Gr 1–3—Similar in format and scope to Adler and Weber's The Story of Hanukkah (Holiday House, 2011), this simple yet dramatic story retells the Children of Israel's exodus from slavery in Egypt. Nothing is whitewashed in the text or the illustrations; slaves are beaten and killed, babies are drowned in the river, Moses attacks and kills a slave master, the Angel of Death visits the Egyptians, and Pharaoh's army is swallowed by the sea. However, readers already familiar with this narrative will appreciate the straightforward honesty and will relish the detailed, expressive, acrylic illustrations. An author's note, providing more information about the traditions and customs of the holiday, is appended. A great read-aloud for the Passover seder, this is a welcome addition to holiday book shelves.—Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL

School Library Journal

2014-02-12
This version of the Passover story is designed for Jewish families and aspiring zoologists. The Red Sea is filled with snakes. When Moses parts the waters, long, striped serpents splash out of the sea, along with fish of every color: tiny purple ones and enormous red ones and a handful that are bright green. There are animals on almost every page of this book. Children who aren't familiar with the story of Exodus might confuse the book for a bestiary as they flip through. The gigantic black cat of Egypt may even give them pause. When the plague of wild beasts shows up about halfway through the story, it's marvelous to watch. There are turtles and monkeys and butterflies and animals that are nearly impossible to identify. Readers might even be forgiven for skipping past the text and just pointing to their favorite creatures from the zoo. That text is a straightforward retelling of the Passover story, and it's entirely serviceable. If families need an introduction to Moses and Pharaoh, this book will certainly meet their needs, but Adler's version doesn't add much color or personality to the human characters, in contrast to Weber's energetic paintings of the animals. This book will help families get ready for Passover, but they may need to take a trip to the zoo a day or two later. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews