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Like most Jewish holidays, food plays a major role on Passover. In fact, symbolic foods are the focus of the seder, the traditional Passover meal. Your family is probably already familiar with matzah, but how much do you know about gefilte fish or charoset? Get your kids excited to partake in traditional Passover dishes with lively stories with a focus on food. Below you’ll find a list of books featuring matzah, charoset, and even gefilte fish. B’tayavon – that means, “Bon appetit!” in Hebrew.
Recommended for ages 8+
This classic story takes readers back to a time when families made gefilte fish from scratch -- and tender-hearted kids got attached to the ingredients.
Recommended for ages 4 to 5
Just as it happened in the original story, no one will help Little Red Hen. She makes the Passover matzah herself, but everyone wants to eat it. What's a chicken to do? A recipe for matzah and a Yiddish glossary are included.
Recommended for ages 5 to 6
Everyone loves light, fluffy matzah balls. But Frieda Pinsky’s matzah balls are a little too light!
Recommended for ages 3 to 4
From sitting down at the table to eating the last bite of dessert, this beautiful look at a classic family seder all starts with -- you guessed it -- the matzah that papa brought home.
The Matzo Ball Boy by Lisa Shulman and Rosanne Litzinger
Recommended for ages 4 to 6
A lonely bubbe creates a matzo ball boy to keep her company during Passover. The matzo ball boy escapes from her kitchen, and before long everyone is on a mad chase to capture him.
Matzo Ball Moon by Leslea Newman and Elaine Greenstein
Recommended for ages 6 to 7
Eleanor and her grandmother concoct some delectable matzo balls. When everyone takes a taste of those delicious matzo balls from the Passover soup, what will be left to eat at the seder?
Max Makes a Cake by Michelle Edwards and Charles Santoso
Recommended for ages 5 to 6
Max wants so much to make a birthday cake for his mom...but his new baby sister keeps distracting everyone. So Max decides to take matters -- and ingredients -- into his own hands.
Recommended for ages 6 to 7
This book is a kid-friendly telling of the Passover story via Sammy’s disappointment at not being chosen to portray one of the ten plagues in his school Passover play. Who wants to play the part of a matzoh?
Recommended for ages 6 to 7
How can you make a huge pot of delicious matzoh ball soup when all you’ve got is a cold, hard stone? In Chelm, anything can happen -- and does.
A Sweet Passover by by Lesléa Newman and David Slonim
Recommended for ages 5 to 6
Passover is a wonderful time to spend with family, but after a whole week of it, Miriam is getting pretty darn tired of matzah! That’s when Grandpa saves the day with a special family recipe that he’s certain Miriam will like, making this Passover sweet in more ways than one.
Recommended for ages 4 to 5
Oops! Each family member adds his or her own favorite ingredients to the Passover charoset, until the finished product is something no one would choose to eat!
Visit the PJ Library Passover Hub for more stories, videos and child-friendly Seder activities.
March 22, 2018