It's Not Worth Making a Tzimmes Over!

Betsy R. Rosenthal is an Albert Whitman author.

PreSchool-Grade 2 Sara and her grandmother are making challah. When the child accidentally adds too much yeast to the dough, it grows to enormous proportions and begins spreading throughout the neighborhood, much like the movie The Blob. After they call the police who laugh Sara solves the problem by writing a note inviting all of the neighbors to bake the dough. Then she and her grandmother follow suit. The story is mildly entertaining, with lots of Yiddish terms and expressions tossed in. Grandma repeats the titular phrase every time something goes wrong. The text ends with a recipe for challah. The brightly colored, mixed-media illustrations are a bit blurred around the edges, and the splotchy color used for the characters' skin is rather off-putting, as are, at times, their faces. The depiction of a hip, motor-scooter-riding Grandma who uses a computer and bakes is certainly welcome. However, the lengthy text and overly purposeful use of Yiddish detract from the overall success of the book. Libraries with a great need for more humorous titles with Jewish characters may find a place for this slight offering, but most others can pass. Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT
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