New Year at the Pier: A Rosh Hashanah Story [Hardcover]

April Halprin Wayland (Author), Stephane Jorisch (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: June 11, 2009 | Age Range: 5 - 8 years

Izzy’s favorite part of Rosh Hashanah is Tashlich, a joyous ceremony in which people apologize for the mistakes they made in the previous year and thus clean the slate as the new year begins. But there is one mistake on Izzy’s “I’m sorry” list that he’s finding especially hard to say out loud.

Humor, touching moments between family and friends, and lots of information about the Jewish New Year are all combined in this lovely picture book for holiday sharing.

Winner of the Sydney Taylor Gold Medal for best Jewish picture book of the year!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3–Izzy and his family get ready for the Jewish New Year ceremony of Tashlich, when people toss pieces of bread into a body of water to represent throwing away their misdeeds. Izzy, Miriam, their mom, and their community make a sincere effort to reflect on their own behavior, to apologize to those they have wronged, and to offer forgiveness to those who have wronged them. The setting is based on the annual tradition at Manhattan Beach, CA. Poetic text and flowing autumnal illustrations support the contemplative nature of the tale. Emotions ring true: Izzy nervously puts off difficult apologies, but experiences a clean, wide-open heart once he has spoken up. At the same time, the characters are real and human: despite their efforts to be good, Izzy and Miriam quarrel, as siblings will. A short author's note provides background about the holiday, but the story will be best appreciated by children already familiar with these traditions. However, the universality of emotion and the quality presentation make this book a good choice for multicultural New Year celebrations.–Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL
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Review

A well-crafted introduction to an alternative aspect of the holiday with room for discussion. ---Kirkus Reviews

"[T]he empathetic, low-key prose makes important points about personal responsibility without pummeling readers." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A child's perspective on atonement and repentance, expressed in meaningful and childlike ways, is sustained throughout a narrative that emphasizes both personal and communal atonement." --Association of Jewish Libraries

"If you are introducing your youngster to the Rosh Hashanah ceremony tashlich, then you'll want to get a copy of New Year at the Pier." --Jewish Woman Magazine

"Believable family interaction, a good sense of community and some lovely language permeate this very now, very real story." --JT News

"[O]ffers an excellent, thorough look at forgiveness during one of the most important holidays of the year." --Jewish Book World Magazine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 5 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dial; First Edition edition (June 11, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803732791
• ISBN-13: 978-0803732797
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #323,747 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Children's Books > Holidays & Celebrations > Religious

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a beautiful book about the Jewish tradition of Tashlich that should be shared with children of all faiths! September 30, 2009

By D. Fowler TOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Izzy is sitting in an Adirondack chair drawing some pictures instead of writing his list of things he is sorry for before Tashlich arrives. He enjoys this time of year because the season is beginning to change and loves to think about eating apples dipped in honey. Mmmmm! His sister Miriam is looking very pensive and is thinking about what to put on her list. If Izzy held up three fingers that would about do it for things he was sorry about in the past year. He slouched down in his chair and began to stick his fingers up in the air one by one. If he only did four rotten things, Tashlich would be a snap.

He drew on Miriam's "forehead . . . while she was asleep." No big deal. He lost his mother's ring at the store. That might be a problem. He broke "Mrs. Bickerson's drum . . . the one they weren't even supposed to touch." Apologizing for that one would be difficult. Oh, there was one more he would have to deal with and that was going to be really hard to deal with. He told his friend Ben he wouldn't tell anyone that he sucked his thumb and then blabbed the secret. On Rosh Hashanah Izzy began to make his apologies and received some in turn. When they went down to the pier to he listened to Rabbi Neil talk about Tashlich and how it "is like cleaning your heart's close . . . a new year, a clean heart." Would Ben ever forgive him for what he had done?

I enjoyed traveling with Izzy and his family to the pier to celebrate and "open their hearts" in forgiveness. This tradition encourages children to think about the negative effect they may have had on others during the preceding year and helps them learn about forgiveness. This story was charming and the watercolors were very appealing and meshed well with the story. My favorite parts were when each child totally accepted and forgave others for their misdeeds, usually forgotten by the time Tashlich rolled around. This is a beautiful book that would be a welcome addition to any classroom or homeschool library. L'shanah Tovah!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Younger Readers January 17, 2010

By Book Lover 9 VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

The author employs her own memories of community tashlich at the beach in this loving, charmingly illustrated description of Izzy and his family and friends as they gently apologize for misdeeds, grant forgiveness, and toss breadcrumbs into the sea as part of their Rosh Hashanah observance. The accepting vibe is vaguely Reconstructionist or post-denominational - the cantor is a woman, a congregant blows the shofar, some men wear kippot, a woman wearing pants plays the guitar, the leader of the congregation is called by his first name, Rabbi Neil, and Izzy's mother appears to be a single parent. Izzy compares tashlich to cleaning out his toy closet, an example of the wonderful way this story conveys to children, at their own level, a contemporary version of the healthy Jewish way we start fresh at the beginning of each new year. - SUSAN BERSON - DENVER, CO

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Watercolors match perfectly to the water-centered tradition September 15, 2009

By Larry Mark

Format:Hardcover

April Halprin Wayland has run a marathon, traveled Europe via backpack, worked on a kibbutz, managed a walnut farm, student at UC Davis, played the fiddle, been a corporate exec and even been a nanny to a celebrity. She has had a lot of experiences, and one of them is to see Tashlich in Manhattan Beach in Southern California. Here is a story based on this experience. The story open with Izzy's mother and sister making a list of things for which they are sorry. Izzy, with carrot colored hair thinks of 3 things. Now he must approach those three or four that he has wronged and ask for forgiveness. He asks his sister to forgive him for drawing on her face as she slept. No prob. He asks his mother to forgive him for losing her ring. Both mom and sis are also sorry for ignoring him or calling him a Big Snot. As the story continues, the family arrives at the pier with a guitarist and Rabbi Neil It is time for Tashlich, a time to symbolically dispose of past errors in moving water. They blow a shofar, sing, and throw bread crumbs into the Pacific. Izzy, the fish and the seagulls all love Tashlich. But wait. It isn't over. Izzy must approach his friend Ben and ask for forgiveness for error number 4...