The Passover Guest

by Susan Kusel, Sean Rubin (Illustrator)

Overview

Muriel's family can't afford a Passover seder this year— but an act of kindness and a mysterious stranger change everything.

It's the spring of 1933 in Washington, D.C., and the Great Depression is hitting young Muriel's family hard. Her father has lost his job, and her family barely has enough food for their daily meals, let alone for a Passover seder. They don't even have any wine to fill the prophet Elijah's ceremonial cup.

With no feast to rush home to, Muriel wanders by the Lincoln Memorial, where she encounters a magician performing astonishing feats. In awe, Muriel sets her last penny at his feet.

That night, Muriel and her family experience a holiday miracle. What mysterious benefactor has filled the seder table? When Muriel sees Elijah's cup is empty again, she has a good idea.

This fresh retelling of the classic I.L. Peretz story, best known through Uri Shulevitz's 1973 adaptation The Magician, has been richly illustrated by noted graphic novelist Sean Rubin, who based his art on photographs of D.C. in the 1930s. An author's note with information about the Passover holiday is included.

An Association of Jewish Libraries Spring Holiday Highlight
A Booklist Editors' Choice
A CSMCL Best Multicultural Children's Book of the Year

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823453221
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	01/02/2024
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	463,194
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.97(h) x 0.13(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Susan Kusel is a synagogue librarian and children's book buyer for an independent bookstore. She has served as a member of the Caldecott Medal selection committee and the chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee. The Passover Guest is Kusel's first picture book. She lives in Arlington, VA.

Sean Rubin has illustrated several books for children. He wrote and illustrated the graphic novel Bolivar, which was nominated for an Eisner award and is being adapted into a feature film with Fox Studios. He also illustrated The Astronaut Who Painted the Moon: The Story of Alan Bean by Dean Robbins. Rubin studied art and archeology at Princeton University. He lives in Charleston, VA.

Editorial Reviews

★ "Filled with references to the holiday and accompanying traditions, this is a superb addition to modern celebrations. . . . Kusel’s charming debut is a necessary volume for every holiday collection."—School Library Journal, Starred Review
 
★ "Rubin's digitally enhanced graphite illustrations are rendered in the style of Chagall in terms of color (blues and greens, accented in yellow), lighting, windows, and even a few chickens. . . . Among the many Passover titles, this one stands out, full of hope and heart and set in a historical context that will resonate today."—Booklist, Starred Review

★ "Rubin’s line-and-color art beautifully conveys a Washington, D.C., spring with cherry blossoms blooming, crowded streets that also evoke a long-ago, slightly off-kilter European town, and a gloriously bright holiday evening. Kindness is rewarded and a holiday is celebrated in this endearing, satisfying story."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"With its warm, forthright narrative and beautifully evoked setting, this book is an enchanting addition to the Passover shelf."—Publishers Weekly
 
"In the book's stunning mixed-media art, each double-page spread conveys emotion through color and light. . . . While there have been several adaptations of Peretz's tale (e.g., Shulevitz's The Magician), this version's message of hope during dark times feels especially relevant now, and the young protagonist and vividly depicted setting make the story accessible to picture-book audiences." —The Horn Book

"Kusel's adaptation preserves the wonder of a holiday that always captivates children who yearn to lay eyes on Elijah or at least witness a sign that he has indeed visited during their Passover Seder. . . .  this is a wonderful story about hope." — AJL News and Reviews

From the Publisher

02/08/2021

In this picture book retelling of I.L. Peretz’s “The Magician,” it’s the height of the Great Depression, and young Muriel and her family, who live in Washington, D.C., are facing a bleak Passover. They “didn’t have enough to eat even on ordinary days,” writes debut author Kusel, and there’s certainly no wine for Prophet Elijah’s cup. As Muriel walks home past the city’s landmarks—rendered in Chagall-inspired, curvilinear art by Rubin—she encounters a clownlike man on the Lincoln Memorial steps and shares her plight; that evening, he reappears at her family’s door, conjuring up a magnificent Passover meal. When their rabbi confirms it’s not an illusion, the entire Jewish community celebrates together, and it dawns on Muriel that the fellow was Elijah himself. With its warm, forthright narrative and beautifully evoked setting, this book is an enchanting addition to the Passover shelf. Notes from the creators discuss the book’s beginnings. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 12/01/2020

Gr 2–4—Inspired by the I.L. Peretz story behind Uri Shulevitz's The Magician, this book chronicles a poor family living through the Great Depression on the night of Passover. April 10, 1933, was a Passover like no other; in the depths of the Great Depression, many families could not afford to hold a true seder. Because her family's table is empty, a young Jewish girl named Muriel spends the day admiring the blooming cherry blossoms along the National Mall in Washington, DC. A chance encounter with a mysterious stranger begins a series of events that lead to a full Passover dinner shared by the entire neighborhood. Only Muriel notices the absence of the stranger—and Elijah's empty wine glass—at the end of the evening. Filled with references to the holiday and accompanying traditions, this is a superb addition to modern celebrations. People of various races appear in the background even as the story focuses on a Jewish neighborhood. Abundant details—taking viewers from shtetl to the Capitol, for example—fill every page, enhancing the story's emotions through color and texture. The length of the text makes this story well suited for older children. A short notes section at the end of the book explains more about the holiday and gives readers a glimpse behind the author's and illustrator's choices. VERDICT Kusel's charming debut is a necessary volume for every holiday collection.—Mary Lanni, formerly at Denver P.L.

School Library Journal

★ 2021-01-13
Miracles occur on Passover, both in the Haggadah and in a poor, Depression-era Jewish American neighborhood.

For Muriel, a young girl living in 1933 Washington, D.C., there can be no Passover seder. Her family is too poor. Stopping at the Lincoln Memorial, she watches a juggler whose shabby appearance suddenly seems to burst into color. She gives him all she has—one penny—and he tells her to hurry home to a seder. She rushes home only to find her parents standing in front of an empty table. But the stranger is now at the door, and he magically transforms that bare table to one overflowing with holiday foods and ceremonial plates and cups. The rabbi is summoned and declares it a “true miracle” to be enjoyed by the whole neighborhood. At the conclusion of the festive meal, the cup left for the Prophet Elijah is empty. In her afterword, the author writes that a favorite childhood story was Uri Shulevitz’s The Magician (1973), which set a Yiddish tale by Isaac Loeb Peretz in a shtetl. This reimagined American setting during the Great Depression and its message of community and faith will resonate with readers. Rubin’s line-and-color art beautifully conveys a Washington, D.C., spring with cherry blossoms blooming, crowded streets that also evoke a long-ago, slightly off-kilter European town, and a gloriously bright holiday evening. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 34.8% of actual size.)

Kindness is rewarded and a holiday is celebrated in this endearing, satisfying story. (illustrator's note) (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews