A Tale of Two Seders

PreSchool-Grade 3. "The year after my mom and dad stopped being married to each other, I went to two seders in two places—one at Dad's apartment, and one at Mom's house," explains a young girl. She describes the six Passover meals that she has shared with her divorced parents over the last three years. Each celebration is unique, with memorable moments such as singing the Four Questions, using a new Haggadah, trying different recipes, meeting Dad's new girlfriend, and enjoying treats like chocolate lollipops and fried matzah. However, the charoset, the traditional dish of apples, nuts, cinnamon, and wine, never tastes quite right, and the girl dreams of her whole family celebrating the holiday together again. When her parents surprise her by joining together at the synagogue's community seder, the girl realizes that her dream has come true. And, as her mother explains to her: "families are like charoset. Some have more ingredients than others, some stick together better…some are sweeter…. But each one is tasty in its own way." Cis's delightful acrylic paintings beautifully complement the text, and four recipes for charoset are appended along with a glossary. After being one of the first to introduce young readers to women rabbis in Ima on the Bimah (1986) and to tackle conversion in Mommy Never Went to Hebrew School (1989, both Lerner), it is no surprise that Rabbi Portnoy has written this realistic, contemporary story.