OH Book Review: The Passover Seder by Emily Sper

Pesach (Passover) is upon us. It's Seder time folks! Just so you know, a Seder is a special (and specially long) meal which is accompanied by the reading of the Haggadah (the story of Passover). And a lengthy meal can only yield squirmy kids. Of course kids play a huge role in the success of a Seder, but one worries if all the symbolism and customs are lost on the littlest participants?

Emily Sper's book The Passover Seder is the coolest children's book written on the subject. Why you ask? Well for starters it's page after page of things to pull, spin and open. From a brief background history of Passover to inviting Elijah the Prophet to join the Seder it covers all the important elements. Three pages in you'll read about matzah then get to "lift" the cover and "break" the center matzah. Kids are introduced to the 10 plagues and have a chance to tip a cup of wine "spilling" drops for each plague. Bright and bold pictures, highlighted text and key Hebrew words broken down into English make this an accessible book for any young kid attending or just learning about the Passover Seder. My kids, who are 5 and 11 years old, love this book. So fun to read it takes multiple readings because everyone wants a turn manipulating the pages. An excellent book to get the kids excited about the Seder and encourage them to stay awake long enough to exclaim "Next year in Jerusalem."