Let's Celebrate Our Jewish Holidays! Book

Introduces the history and symbols of various Jewish holidays, including Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Shavuot.

School Library Journal

Gr 1-3--Starting with the Sabbath, this overview explains how 13 Jewish holidays are celebrated. The chapters are short, and each page has a lot of white space and illustrations. The chapters on Chanuka and Purim are the longest, because Kolatch explains the history associated with those holidays. The information about the meanings of the holidays and their symbols is better delivered than the history as the author is not a lively storyteller. Yom Ha-Shoah (Holocaust Day), not often included in books for this age range, is explained well. Told from a traditional Ashkenazi perspective, the material is factual and orderly. No holiday songs, crafts, or recipes are included. The pastel and watercolor illustrations are colorful but old-fashioned and awkwardly drawn, showing very little diversity among the Jewish people.--Elisabeth Palmer Abarbanel, Brentwood School, Los Angeles