Matzah Ball Soup: A Passover Story

Features

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Cover Type: Hard Cover with 32 pages
• Published by: Hyperion
• Edition: 1st Edition September 1, 1999
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0786802022
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0786802029
• Book Dimensions: 9.4 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Weighs: 12 ounces

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3 The eternal matzah-ball debate floaters or sinkers, spicy or bland forms the basis of this Passover tale. As she helps her grandmother prepare for the Seder, Rosie asks why their family always eats chicken soup with four matzah balls in it. Grandma then tells the story behind the family tradition, of the Passover when her mother and three sisters squabbled over whose recipe was truly the best. A contest ensued, with the uncles acting as judges around the Seder table. Of course, it was decided that no meal would be complete without all four varieties of matzah balls in the chicken soup, giving rise to tradition. This tale is best suited for children who know the story of Passover, as parts of the Seder are mentioned but not explained. The pictures are a bit stiff, but capture the nervous aunts and the happy family gathering. The borders around the illustrations are especially effective. A lighthearted companion piece to Fran Manushkin's The Matzah That Papa Brought Home (Scholastic, 1995), offering children a vivid picture of how traditions pass from generation to generation. Martha Link, Louisville Free Public Library, KY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
This warm, funny picture book combines a seder celebration with one extended family's special tradition. Grandma explains to Rosie why they each have to have four matzah balls in their chicken soup. Her story goes back to when Grandma's Tanta Tee came as a new immigrant from Hungary to join her three sisters in America. Each sister had her own way of making matzah balls, and, after quarreling and kvetching, they had a contest to see whose were the best. That long-ago holiday celebration, Tanta Tee's first seder in America, connects with the family seder that Rosie and her grandma are attending now, as they go through the four questions, read from the Haggadah, and enjoy the meal. Children will appreciate the comic pictures of the affectionate family dynamics. Of course, there's a recipe at the back--with a variation from each of the four aunts. Hazel Rochman