A Tale of Two Seders

by Mindy Avra Portnoy, Valeria Cis (Illustrator)

Overview

When her parents get divorced, a little girl is worried about many things, including how she will celebrate the Jewish holidays in two different households. The holiday of Passover gives her a chance to celebrate separately with each parent. Over the course of three years and six seders, she and her family work to adjust to this new world, creating happy new lives and new family traditions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780822599319
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/01/2010
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Mindy Avra Portnoy is the author of several books, including Where Do People Go When They Die? and Matzah Ball: A Passover Story. She is a graduate of Yale University and was ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She is the Rabbi of Temple Sinai in Washington, D.C.

Valeria Cis lives in Argentina with her family. She studied fine art at the University of Humanities and Arts in Rosario, Argentina. Her recent books include A Heart Just Like My Mother's and Bubbe's Belated Bat Mitzvah.

Editorial Reviews

"Portnoy . . . writes with empathy and humor of this common situation. . . . Cis’ brightly colored artwork is filled with holiday details."
—Booklist

From the Publisher

PreS-Gr 3—"The year after my mom and dad stopped being married to each other, I went to two seders in two places—one at Dad's apartment, and one at Mom's house," explains a young girl. She describes the six Passover meals that she has shared with her divorced parents over the last three years. Each celebration is unique, with memorable moments such as singing the Four Questions, using a new Haggadah, trying different recipes, meeting Dad's new girlfriend, and enjoying treats like chocolate lollipops and fried matzah. However, the charoset, the traditional dish of apples, nuts, cinnamon, and wine, never tastes quite right, and the girl dreams of her whole family celebrating the holiday together again. When her parents surprise her by joining together at the synagogue's community seder, the girl realizes that her dream has come true. And, as her mother explains to her: "families are like charoset. Some have more ingredients than others, some stick together better…some are sweeter…. But each one is tasty in its own way." Cis's delightful acrylic paintings beautifully complement the text, and four recipes for charoset are appended along with a glossary. After being one of the first to introduce young readers to women rabbis in Ima on the Bimah (1986) and to tackle conversion in Mommy Never Went to Hebrew School (1989, both Lerner), it is no surprise that Rabbi Portnoy has written this realistic, contemporary story.—Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL

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