The Mysterious Missing Matzoh

Fully aware that “my grandchildren are all so smart,” Grandpa Murray knows he has to work extra hard to stash the afikomen. Digitally colored pen and ink pictures by Auerbach show Grandpa wandering from room to room as he considers and discards a variety of hiding places: between the couch cushions, behind the flowerpot, under the air conditioner. When it’s time to look for the piece of matzoh, the grandchildren turn the house upside down but still come up short—and so does Grandpa, who just can’t remember where it is. “You see,” Katz writes, “Grandpas forget things sometimes.” In a gentle twist, a gesture from grandson David inadvertently reveals the afikomen’s location. With its wry, observational humor, it’s a friendly variation on a familiar Passover arc. Characters are portrayed with arrayed skin tones. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)