Waiting for Hanami
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J.P. Takahashi, illus. by HifuMiyo. HarperCollins, $19.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-06-322497-1
One glorious day, Sai and her loved ones rise early to find a picnic spot for hanami, or cherry-blossom viewing, and to join an enormous family reunion. Sai “feels a tiny bit like a stranger” in the big group until she spies another child, Avi. At the heart of this sensitively written story by Takahashi are the discoveries the children exchange about their distinctive ways of delving into creativity. Helping at her parents’ kimono shop, Sai asks customers questions that help her choose the right garment. Avi, an artist, captures fantasies and emotions with a notebook and ink. Billowy digital spreads give the story a sense of lightness as HifuMiyo renders the kimono store sequence in shades of peach, while Avi’s drawings are rendered in deep indigo tints. They discover that their extended family contains many surprises as they take pleasure in seasonal clouds of cherry blossoms. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author’s note concludes. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)
A Vaisakhi to Remember
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Simran Jeet Singh, illus. by Japneet Kaur. Kokila, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-5938-5908-7
A kaleidoscope of events and perceptions swirl around a young protagonist on Vaisahki, the Sikh spring harvest festival, in this telling that occurs partially in memory. The narrator first recalls awakening in a field to the nudging of a goat and the sounds of peacocks calling. Arriving to the village on “the best day of all,” the child remembers “everyone joining, dancing together” to celebrate harvest as well as preparing foods and listening to “stories of hope and renewal and heroes.” But now, living in a big city where small flowers, not harvest, represent spring (“No green fields. No pet goats”), the narrator wonders how the family will celebrate. Kaur’s dense, jewel-like watercolor illustrations expand moments beyond Jeet Singh’s bustling text, leaning into group scenes and linking celebrations: “new friends and shared memories, with old foods and new games.” Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author’s note and recipe conclude. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)
Crack Goes the Cascarón: An Eggcellent Not-Just-for-Easter Shellebration!
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Sara Andrea Fajardo, illus. by Rocío Arreola Mendoza. Knopf, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-5938-0567-1
The narrator of this upbeat holiday picture book—Toti, the self-proclaimed “King of Cascarones”—plans to get the upper hand over the family on Easter, when the confetti-filled eggs are cracked on loved ones’ heads. Toti’s careful planning includes engineering “cascarones the world has never seen,” such as some filled with slime. “When I get cracking,” the child boasts, “no one is safe, not even Abuela.” But after Toti’s careful creations disappear, an underestimated relation turns the tables. Fajardo lets the egg puns fly throughout this playful work (“You wanna hear a yolk?... Time to scramble!”), while Arreola Mendoza’s digital illustrations display the planning stage, and subsequent familial hijinks, in bold hues and sprawling lines. Characters cue as Latinx. Publishes simultaneously in Spanish. Ages 3–7. (Feb.)
When Spring Comes (My Favorite Season #1)
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Ekaterina Trukhan. Nosy Crow, $12.99 (26p) ISBN 979-8-88777-175-5
Spring brings sensorial marvels in Trukhan’s cheerful tribute to the season’s changes. Building from the refrain “When spring comes...,” lines describe birdsong, buzzing bees, “soft, green grass,” and the like. Over the course of a day, a ponytailed narrator witnesses shifts in the natural environment while exploring with a small dog. Simple, shape-based unlined artwork relies on a mix of pastels and bright colors as the pair assist with yard work and venture out on bikes (“When spring comes...// we ride up the hill, past the/ lambs in the field”). A concluding rainstorm yields puddles to play in and a rainbow that the family observes while enjoying tea and cupcakes, and the happy protagonist is prompted to voice sincere love for spring. A concluding seek-and-find activity further engages readers in appreciation. Characters are portrayed with brown skin. Ages 2–5. (Feb.)
Little Bunny, Spring Is Here! (Little Bunny #1)
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Deborah Marcero. Putnam, $8.99 (22p) ISBN 978-0-593-69896-9
Anticipating the arrival of spring, friends Little Bunny and Field Mouse go looking for it in this seasonal board book, along the way obliviously uncovering hints that it’s already arrived. Dialogue-driven storytelling follows the pair recruiting various critters to assist in their search (“Hello, Black Bear, have you seen spring?”/ “No, but I can help you look”). After a rainstorm causes the crew to shelter in a log, they emerge to discover an altered landscape, with lines shifting to short, rejoicing rhymes: “Birds sang.// Spring/ SPRANG!” Faint, fine markings texture Marcero’s illustrations, which support readers in uncovering spring’s arrival before the book’s protagonists do. The animal characters have distorted proportions and accessories—long, skinny ears and a scarf for Little Bunny—helping to lend the story an appealing air of whimsy appropriate to the season’s caprices. Ages up to 3. (Jan.)
Ellis Island Passover
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Marissa Moss. Creston, $19.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-954354-32-6
A sulking child brightens when Great-Uncle Ezra arrives for family seder and shares the story of his first Passover in America. Drawing on family history, per an author’s note, Moss crafts an anecdotal narrative paired with spare pen and ink sketches. Nine-year-old Ezra flees Russia’s pogroms alone, only to face deportation when his brother fails to meet him at Ellis Island, where small comforts include kindly kitchen staff. On the eve of being sent back, Ezra organizes a makeshift Passover Seder, realizing that he and his fellow Jewish refugees are “living the story of our own exodus, from the old world to the new, from oppression to freedom.” “Next year in America!” Ezra shouts at meal’s end, and the following day brings a small miracle of its own. The book is as much about the importance of family stories as it is about Passover, underscoring how personal narratives can deepen and sustain heritage. Most characters are portrayed with pale skin. Ages 5–10. (Jan.)
Passover on Everest
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Rachelle Burk, illus. by Craig Orback. Intergalactic Afikomen, $19.99 (44p) ISBN 978-1-9513-6528-8
How is this night different from all other nights? For young Nikki Bart, one answer is where she was in 2008: on Mt. Everest with her mother and “surrounded by a different sort of family,” Burk writes. The Everest climb is part of the duo’s quest to scale the highest peaks across continents—a goal that feels both empowering and “sacred” given mountains’ significance in Jewish history. But this year the climb means missing the coziness of their usual family seders—until their Sherpa guide learns of the holiday and surprises them with a full Passover spread. Orback’s drawings, which combine the feel of documentary photographs with a comics-style digital effect, capture both the grandeur of the setting and the deep human connections that define the holiday. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author’s note and more about Passover conclude. Ages 4–10. (Jan.)
Zayde Babysits Before Passover
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Jane Sutton, illus. by Kate Chappell. Kar-Ben, $18.99 (24p) ISBN 979-8-7656-1-9889
While Ruthie’s parents help Bubbe prepare to host the seder, Zayde makes his debut as Ruthie’s babysitter, guided by 10 instructions from Mommy. Humor emerges from the contrast between Sutton’s administrative-style text and Chappell’s naif illustrations as Zayde interprets the notes: Instruction No. 3 (“Go to the grocery store. Remember to buy parsley for the seder plate”) finds Ruthie pushing Zayde in a shopping cart while he waves the parsley like a flag. A few mishaps occur—punctuated with “Oy!”—but Zayde completes his childcare mission and leads the seder with aplomb in a book that shows a mix of spontaneity and tradition making a cherished holiday even more meaningful. The family is portrayed with pale skin. More about Passover concludes. Ages 4–9. (Jan.)
The Mysterious Missing Matzoh
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Alan Katz, illus. by Adam Auerbach. HarperCollins, $12.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-06-331118-3
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.)
Next Year in the White House: Barack Obama’s First Presidential Seder
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Richard Michelson, illus. by E.B. Lewis. Crown, $18.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-5937-1158-3
Christmas and Easter celebrations have been White House mainstays for more than a century, but the first presidential Passover Seder didn’t occur until 2009. Michelson’s reportorial text, accompanied by Lewis’s realist watercolor vignettes, offer readers the backstory. After a hard year on the campaign trail, three aides to then-senator Barack Obama are “feeling homesick... hungry... tired.” Throwing together a meager but heartfelt seder in a hotel basement, they are joined unexpectedly by the candidate himself, who is inspired by the Haggadah’s story and declares, “Next year in the White House!” That hope is fulfilled a year later, when President Obama presides over a beautifully appointed White House seder, his daughters hunt for the afikomen, and Michelle Obama’s observation captures the profound significance of the moment: “It is a miracle that the descendants of two enslaved peoples are now free to share a meal together in the White House, at the invitation of America’s first Black president.” Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Extensive back matter concludes. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)
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