SAN DIEGO — Two delightful books about challah from Kar Ben Publishing are on our list for this week’s book reviews. These are fun and so different from each other, your child will love them both.
The first book, It’s Challah Time, is for young readers ready to help make their own challahs. Author Latifa Berry Kropf takes us to a preschool baking challah for Shabbat. Using photographs by Moshe Shai, we see the children helping with each step of the recipe, from the flour, yeast and eggs to the kneading and braiding. The children work together to create two lovely challahs. The children gather at the end to say the blessings and eat the challah, of course. Included is a recipe and the Shabbat blessings, making this the perfect story to share with children every Friday evening.
The second book, Clarence’s Topsy-Turvy Shabbat, also takes us through the creation of Shabbat challahs. But this one stars Clarence, a rascally racoon who sets out each day to purchase ingredients for the challah but returns home with a variety of funny things that rhyme with or sound like the items he’s seeking. The stage is set when he goes to get flour and returns with a flower. The story continues with Clarence bringing home a bunny instead of honey and the narrator chastises him, drawing the reader into fun. What happens when it’s time to make the challah? Don’t worry! Clarence knows exactly what to do to save the day.
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Marcia Berneger is a retired elementary school teacher as well as a teacher at Torah school. She is the author of such children’s books as Buster the Little Garbage Truck, and A Dreidel in Time.