A Sweet Year: A Taste of the Jewish Holidays [Hardcover]

Mark Podwal (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2003 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

The Jewish year is blessed with many holidays, and each one has its special food. From Rosh Hashanah to Shavuot, from the Seder meal to the Sabbath meal, food celebrates the season and commemorates the miraculous. With lyrical prose and rich, vivid paintings, renowned artist Mark Podwal takes an inspired look at the age-old bond between the sacred and the sumptuous in this glorious gift book for any holiday in the Jewish year.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 6-With beautifully crafted poetic text and symbolic paintings in gouache and acrylics, Podwal takes readers on a journey through the Jewish holidays and the foods that are essential elements of each observance and rite. The potato latkes of Hanukkah recall a miracle of lights while honey cakes on Shavuot symbolize the Torah's promise of a "land of milk and honey." Don't expect recipes and crafts. Rather, enjoy the artful and witty illustrations, each of which creates a colorful and fanciful tableau. For the autumn harvest festival of Sukkot, during which families eat in huts "that let the stars shine through," Podwal depicts a solar system of fruits. For Purim, a spring holiday celebrating the time that Esther saved the Persian Jews from Haman, children wear hamantaschen as costumes. A welcome addition to holiday collections.
Susan Pine, New York Public Library
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 3. Fanciful images daubed in gouache and acrylics create bright, contemporary symbols of the timeless role food plays in the Jewish holidays. Each page of creative art faces thoughtful, yet economically phrased, text explaining each holiday and the unique customs or legends surrounding the traditional food of the religious observance. An olive branch blossoms into pink dreidels to illustrate Podwal's almost poetic verbal picture of the sights, smells, food, and history surrounding the miraculous vial of olive oil that burns at the heart of Hanukkah festivities. A gargantuan slice of cheesecake looms like Mt. Sinai over tents in the desert, representing the dairy delights served at Shavuot, the commemoration of the Israelites' receiving the Ten Commandments in the wilderness. Additional brief facts and anecdotes complete this compact, yet hugely imaginative, evocation of Jewish observances. Ellen Mandel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers (August 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385746377
• ISBN-13: 978-0385746373
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 0.3 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,494,945 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Food for the mind and heart, January 5, 2007

By 

Gwynne C. Spencer (Mancos, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Sweet Year: A Taste of the Jewish Holidays (Hardcover)

Children who do not know the Jewish traditions and foods that accompany them will enjoy this book. Beginning with the "613 seeds of the pomegranate" on Rosh Hashanah, challah for Yom Kippur, potato latkes and jelly donuts for Hanukkah, hamantaschen for Purim, matzoh for Passover, kugel for the Sabbath, and terrific illustrations, the end notes will also enhance the child's understanding of the connections between holidays and foods.