Tzimmes for Tzipporah

"It's almost time for Rosh Hashanah, and Tzipporah is finally old enough to help! She excitedly puts on her coat and boots and races outside to help her family dig up the root vegetables they planted on their farm. Hoyt (Bartali's Bicycle) thoroughly, but concisely, tells the story of family and friends celebrating Rosh Hashanah, including their time at the synagogue and the blowing of the shofar. The illustrations' color, bucolic scenery irrefutably support the text and the happiness Tzipporah feels about celebrating the autumn holiday and being old enough to help make the dish of tzimmes. Her playful brown poppy is in almost all the illustrations, as are many chickens, cats, cows, and other farm animals. The illustrations also show the diversity of Tzipporah's community. The text is a bit confusing at the beginning of the story; when Tzipporah races outside to help her family dig up vegetables, the text says she "races down the rows," but the illustrations show her racing down the stairs. VERDICT A wonderful addition to any collection of multicultural children's literature."-- School Library Journal

"It is almost Rosh Hashanah, and the har­vest is ready. Tzip­po­rah and her fam­i­ly pick rutaba­gas, yams, turnips, pota­toes, and car­rots. Then, she and her friends choose the most beau­ti­ful of the veg­eta­bles and scrub them for the Rosh Hashanah meal. Tzip­po­rah is unsure whether these raw veg­eta­bles will make an entic­ing meal for the hol­i­day, but she driz­zles but­ter on them and adds brown sug­ar, hon­ey, cin­na­mon, and fruit. A deli­cious tzimmes is the result. After the syn­a­gogue ser­vice and the blow­ing of the sho­far, the fam­i­ly gath­ers for their feast, and the tzimmes is beau­ti­ful and sweet — just like Rosh Hashanah itself. A tzimmes recipe is append­ed, along with an author’s note that gives more infor­ma­tion about Rosh Hashanah and makes a spe­cial point of encour­ag­ing chil­dren to help pre­pare the fam­i­ly meal. The beau­ti­ful illus­tra­tions depict a farm that is burst­ing with autumn col­or and com­plete with a mul­ti­cul­tur­al group of smil­ing fam­i­ly and friends. This is a love­ly book to read aloud at the start of a fresh new year." --The Jewish Book Council

"It's the first year that Tzipporah is old enough to help with the early fall harvest on her family's farm. Three days before the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, she rides on the tractor driven by her father, and they turn the soil. Tzipporah learns that the tractor has uncovered various root vegetables. Two days before Rosh Hashanah, our little main character helps gather the rutabagas, yams, turnips, potatoes, and carrots. She and her friends scrub off all the dirt. The day before Rosh Hashanah, Tzipporah and her folks ready the tzimmes, using an old family recipe. And on Rosh Hashanah they enjoy the tzimmes with friends and family after synagogue. A recipe and an author's note round out this sweet farm-to-table Rosh Hashanah story. The illustrations, which are bright and engaging, depict a light-skinned family with a darker-skinned friend. The tzimmes and brisket menu suggests an Ashkenazic family. The family drives to synagogue on the holiday, hence representing branches of Judaism whose members do so as well.

The book is a good contender for the Sydney Taylor award. This authentic Jewish story is unique in

connecting tradition with family farming. Reading this book prior to Rosh Hashanah will give an opportunity to talk about where food comes from as well as ways to prepare for the holiday. Jewish and non-Jewish readers will learn about root vegetable farming, tzimmes, and basics about Rosh Hashanah." --The Sydney Taylor Schmooze