Afikomen

Written by Tziporah Cohen

Illustrated by Yaara Eshet

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-606-6

32 pp.

Ages 3-6

March 2023

 

Soon the Jewish community will be celebrating Passover (April 5-13 this year) and many non-Jews know little of the traditions or stories that accompany the holiday. With no words, Afikomen invites us to attend a Passover Seder and witness Tziporah Cohen's family's traditions, but it also transports readers to ancient Egypt via time slip to witness Moses' beginnings.

From Afikomen by Tziporah Cohen, illus. by Yaara Eshet

As the family gathers at the table to read the Haggadah, the guidebook to the Passover Seder, i.e., the Passover religious service and dinner, the three matzah breads rest in front of the host. He takes the middle one, breaks it in half, and places the larger piece in a special bag to become the afikomen. The afikomen will be the last food eaten at the seder meal but, depending on the traditions of the family, the afikomen will play a big role before that end. In this family, the children "steal" the afikomen, and will return it for small gifts. First, though, these three children and their dog, hide beneath the table skirt and are transported to ancient Egypt.

From Afikomen by Tziporah Cohen, illus. by Yaara Eshet

 

There they become part of the Jewish story of the Exodus from Egypt, the basis for Passover. As Pharaoh had decreed that all Jewish baby boys were to be killed, Moses' mother saved him by placing him in a wicker basket and sending him down the Nile. The contemporary children witness this, and like Moses' sister who watches over him as he travels down the river, they ensure that he is safe from calamity like getting stuck in the reeds, taken by playing Egyptian boys, or accosted by a crocodile, so that he might be found by the Pharaoh's daughter and saved. It is only at this point that the children return to their own time and deliver the afikomen–with an unexpected twist–to end the Seder.

From Afikomen by Tziporah Cohen, illus. by Yaara Eshet

I knew so little of the story of Passover and nothing of the afikomen, so I am grateful to Toronto's Tziporah Cohen for giving us a wordless story and an extensive Author's Note to help educate. While a time slip story is unusual for a picture book and especially one with a non-fiction element, Tziporah Cohen makes it work. Not only did I learn about the afikomen and the Passover Seder, but I also learned that Jews of different origins, e.g., Ashkenazic and Sephardic, may differ in their traditions regarding the afikomen. 

 

Moreover,  I learned that even a holy celebration with a sombre history can have joy, and even playfulness. That comes through in Yaara Eshet's watercolour and ink illustrations which show us family who come together. The table laden with wine, the Seder plates, and texts, and the extended family members of varying ages makes for a colourful and textured display. With the expressive kids and dog, registering both the fun of stealing the afikomen and their surprise once dropped in ancient Egypt, as well as the bright landscapes of flowing water, golden sand, and lush riparian vegetation, Yaara Eshet gives a richness to the wordless story. Tziporah Cohen may give us story without words, but Yaara Eshet gives the content colour and texture, and together they give us a visual narrative that teaches and captivates.

A Star Explodes: The Story of Supernova 1054

Written by James Gladstone

Illustrated by Yaara Eshet

Owlkids Books

978-1-77147-498-6

32 pp. 

Ages 8-12

March 2023 

It all started with a big bang. Not the big bang, but just the explosion of a star thousands of years ago and whose light finally appeared to those on Earth in 1054. For astronomers, the appearance of what the Chinese called a guest star was cause for awe. But in time, the light of the guest star faded and, though the ancients might not have known it, a nebula was formed in its stead.

From A Star Explodes by James Gladstone, illus. by Yaara Eshet

That nebula, a cloud of gas and dust, would at last be visible with an 19th century telescope and lead to its naming as the Crab Nebula, which still grows today.

From A Star Explodes by James Gladstone, illus. by Yaara Eshet

James Gladstone may refer to the supernova of 1054 as an example, but his intent is to educate about supernovas (= star blasts) and nebulas (= clouds of gas and dust) and the astronomical phenomena associated with both. Young readers will learn how supernovas scatter their remains across the universe and become part of new worlds. It's a big story for a big explosion, and that's why James Gladstone tells it both in narrative and information notes. He gives it the beauty of the prodigious, of the cosmic, of the mysterious, especially as it was witnessed in historical times. (Several timelines clarify the evolution of the supernova and the nebula.) But James Gladstone, whose earlier books include Turtle Pond (2018), Earthrise (2018) and When Planet Earth Was New (2017), always blends the elegance of the scientific world with the factual, providing story with appending notes about what a supernova is, the supernova of 1054, and the Crab Nebula.

From A Star Explodes by James Gladstone, illus. by Yaara Eshet

But, because this is more than a non-fiction text, Yaara Eshet's watercolour and ink illustrations lend that storytelling element. She takes us into the heavens, into history, and into glorious landscapes across our world. There's colour and life, but also the curiosity that comes with the real but still curious.

 

I love when non-fiction is presented as an illustrated story, and with A Star Explodes: The Story of Supernova 1054 by James Gladstone and Yaara Eshet, you'll be heading to the stars and the past for a brief lesson in science and history both.