cover image God Must Like Cookies, Too

God Must Like Cookies, Too

Carol Snyder. Jewish Publication Society of America, $16.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-8276-0423-0

The author of Ike and Mama and the Once-a-Year Suit adopts a child's voice for this sweet if sometimes cloying picture book. A girl describes going to a Reform synagogue with her grandmother for Friday night services. As she follows the ceremonies, she--realistically--takes an equal interest in her surroundings (``Grandma likes the seats with cushions. I like the slippery chairs'') and in her neighbors (``I play with a baby who's hanging over his mommy's shoulder''). She punctuates her observations with flashbacks to her day with Grandma: she has gone ice-skating in Rockefeller Center, to the art class Grandma teaches, to the carousel in the park. This cross-cutting technique can be confusing, and Glick's warm and fuzzy illustrations don't help: Grandma makes a few too many costume changes, wearing several different ensembles in the single afternoon. Authentic as parts of the narration seem, other passages are forced or precious: ``I watch the Sabbath candles flicker. The flames dance with joy''; ``I love going to temple with Grandma. It's sweeter than cookies.'' Ages 3-8. (June)