The Story of Passover (Trophy Picture Books) [Paperback]

Norma Simon (Author), Erika Weihs (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Trophy Picture Books

A Tale to Remember

Every spring, Jewish families throughout the world gather around their tables to celebrate Passover. With poems and prayers, with wine and food, they share the ancient story of the Hebrews in Egypt, and how Moses convinced Pharaoh to set his people free.

Jews celebrate Passover more than any other holiday, and this charming book explains why and how. You’ll learn the story of the ten plagues and of the exodus from Egypt. Then you’ll know why matzoh is eaten during the eight days of Passover and you’ll understand the symbolism behind the Seder meal. Norma Simon has included three fun, hands-on activities, including a tasty recipe for matzoh ball soup.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This reissue of Simon's 1968 holiday book tells the story of the Israelites leaving Egypt and introduces the elements of a contemporary Passover Seder. "This volume will prove most useful as a family-shared reference. An excellent introduction to Passover for non-Jews," said PW. Ages 7-10.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4. A welcome reissue of Simon's Passover (Crowell, 1965; o.p.) with a text quite similar to the original in terms of organization, but with phraseology changes that provide for a smoother, less abrupt flow, and new illustrations. A major change from the original is the substitution of more gender neutral forms within the context of the celebration. In some cases, references to men and women and their traditional roles are omitted or changed to "people." Other pleasant additions include recipes for making the symbolic charoseth and matzoh balls and instructions for making place cards for the Seder table. The discussion of the Samaritan Passover celebration in Jordan has been omitted. Weihs's oil-on-gesso illustrations are attractive and effective. The artist's characters sport soft yet angular features with rounded faces hosting deep set and penetrating eyes. This title bridges the gap between the more simplistic treatments found in Miriam Nerlove's Passover (Whitman, 1989) and Marilyn Hirsh's I Love Passover (Holiday, 1988; o.p.); David Adler's A Picture Book of Passover (Holiday, 1982; o.p.) provides more of a historic description and less about the celebration itself. Biblically accurate and factual, Simon's book brings the Passover celebration to life for both Jewish and Gentile children.?Celia A. Huffman, Worthington Public Library, OH
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (January 3, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064434915
• ISBN-13: 978-0064434911
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,530,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Straightforward, May 25, 2002

By 

Alyssa A. Lappen (Earth) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Story of Passover (Trophy Picture Books) (Paperback)

This 29-page story, originally published in 1965, provides a straightforward accounting of the Passover story, most appropriate for non-Jewish children who want to understand the celebration.

It explains the holiday that happens each spring, when Jewish people the world over celebrate their freedom from slavery with a Seder meal. Six pages are devoted to the Passover story itself--of how, more than 3,000 years ago, Egypt's ancient Pharaoh enslaved the Jewish, God brought ten plagues upon them and Moses led them forth to freedom and into the promised land.

Several pages are also devoted to how Passover is celebrated today.

The only weakness is that the text is dry. It doesn't convey the joy and spirit of this happy holiday. Alyssa A. Lappen

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Slightly Disappointing, March 17, 2011

By 

Will Riddle "and Jaime Riddle" (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Story of Passover (Hardcover)

I recently was going through a stack of library books on Passover, and I came across this one. It is a cute little book but the text is formatted so that it is not exactly kid-friendly... one very long paragraph that takes up an entire page, every two pages. Moreover, I was not exactly thrilled that one of the pages mentioned "some people believe it [the Exodus] happened exactly as it is written in the Bible. Others believe that the story has changed in the telling for it was not written down until a thousand years later. They call it a legend." I felt that this implied that the biblical account was not true or trustworthy. And also that someone other than Moses authored the book of Exodus.

The book also mentions the later date for the Exodus, between 1300 and 1250 B.C. While this is perfectly orthodox, I just thought that those who believe in an earlier date should know.

If neither of these two things bother you, it is a very nice book. Covers the basic information well with nice illustrations.

4.0 out of 5 stars The Story of Passover, March 28, 2010

By 

Jane E. Holt "kids book" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Story of Passover (Trophy Picture Books) (Paperback)

This is well suited for Christin children learning about Old Testament Passover so they can understand how it relates to the Last Supper and the Mass today. It also informs Christian children how and why the Jewish tradition of Passover is celebrated. It is simply told with beautiful illustrations. I would recommend this little book for all faiths.