When a friend tells you they’ve written a kids’ book, of course you’re interested and of COURSE you buy it, maybe thinking that if it’s a loser, you can just let it gather dust on the shelf or pass it along to Value Village.
Luckily, the book in question turned out to be this amazing self-published work from a friend and fellow Torontonian (by marriage), Rachel Shifra Tal. The eye-popping illustrations were done by her sister-in-law.
The book is called When you give a frog a piece of Matza, and it’s a lot of fun, with delightful illustrations and a wonderful message to go with them. Here’s what I said about the book on Amazon.com:
Awesome contemporary take on the Passover Plagues!
We are loving this new book! The little frog is so appealing, and the characters throughout the story are active, colourful and interesting. Its modern look is a refreshing change from the dull graphics of some Jewish kids' books!
A frog and a boy are seated at a seder table (the bowl of peas in front of them, may alarm some Ashkenazi readers, but peas are just fine for our Sephardi friends!), and the boy gradually and with a solid sense of fun reveals the steps of the "ten plagues" narrative. The easily-offended frog comes away not only reassured of his importance to the story, but also (I love it!) wishing he was Jewish, too. What an amazing way to remind our kids of how special they are to be celebrating Pesach.
I was initially concerned (from the title) that the book would be derivative of the "If you Give a Mouse a Cookie" format, but the lively text departs rather quickly from that formula, hitting a unique stride all its own.
My kids are 3 and 6 and enjoyed this book immensely; I'm SO happy it arrived in time for Pesach. The book would be an especially welcome Passover or seder gift for the 5-7-year-old crowd, and perhaps for friends and siblings a little older and younger.
Here's a direct link to buy it (for next year, I guess!) on Amazon.com:
Seriously, buy it! I don’t tell you that very often. If you’re in Toronto, you can probably buy it directly from Rachel and save on shipping!
More info, pics, press releases, etc., here: http://www.mightfly.moonfruit.com/#/mrfrog/4550452966
Oh it looks so cute. You have amazingly talented friends.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a great book!
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