{image from Amazon }

Book: The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah

Author: Leslie Kimmelman

Illustrator: Paul Meisel

Most people are familiar with the story of the little red hen. This Passover-themed retelling is a humorous take with a message of forgiveness.

STORY

Writing: This version includes Yiddish words and phrases (with a glossary in the back of the book). That little twist was enough to get me through the repetitive tale without feeling bored and it made it very fun to read aloud. 4 STARS

Content: This is not a book for those unfamiliar with Passover traditions. Without at least a basic knowledge of Passover you may feel a little in the dark. But that won’t be a problem for Jewish families, for whom this book is undoubtedly written. We’re not Jewish, but we’ve been exposed to seder traditions (I’ve attended two) so I knew enough to not be confused.  As a bonus there’s a matzah recipe in the back of the book. I am all for story books that encourage family learning activities! 4.5 STARS

ILLUSTRATIONS

Style: The illustrations are cute ink, watercolor, and pastel cartoon-like compositions. The hen and her little chicks are particularly adorable. Overall the illustrations are nice, but nothing unusually fantastic. 4 STARS

Skill: I admit, this is probably very nitpicky on my part, but there is one animal among this all farm animal cast who is inconsistent with the other animals as he is fully clothed as well as a picture within a picture of a fully clothed animal. But that’s really the only thing with which I took issue. 4 STARS

KID FACTOR

Mom’s Opinion: This is a very cute version of the little red hen story. It is fun to read aloud. And I really enjoyed the little chicks throughout the story.

Toddler’s Opinion: Lucy was able to pay attention for the whole story. She enjoyed the animal cast and even entertained herself for a few minutes looking at the pictures and “reading” the story to herself.

OVERALL RATING

The story and illustrations are quite cute. But this book really is better suited to families who actually celebrate Passover or who at least like to explore religious traditions. Passover is April 18-26th this year. So you have plenty of time to order a copy for your family should you feel so inclined.

3.5 STARS (4.5 for families who celebrate Passover)

Stay tuned for more book reviews this week, and throughout the month of March!

*All books for the “It’s Raining Books” month of reviews were provided by Allen Thomas & Son. I received no additional compensation for providing my honest opinion. All links to the books are affiliate links, meaning if you choose to purchase a copy you will be supporting Domestic Dork. However, I will not encourage you to spend your hard-earned money on a book unless I honestly think it’s worth it. I value you, my readers, too much to take advantage of you that way.