cover image The Shofar Calls to Us

The Shofar Calls to Us

Katherine Kahn. Kar-Ben Publishing, $5.95 (12pp) ISBN 978-0-929371-61-0

This small press continues to fill an important publishing niche with its series of Judaica board books. Among these four welcome entries, Schanzer's watercolor art is the most adroit and engaging, as she depicts a boy and girl celebrating the holidays and Shabbat with all five senses. In Kahn's brief introduction to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the fluid and more detailed illustrations may be of interest chiefly to children older than board book age. Springer's illustrations, on the other hand, are bold, direct and cartoony. Latkes is less effective--its simplistic presentation provides little information--while the fun encounter of baby and Bagel is the most appealing of the quartet. Ages 1-3. (Oct.)