Jewish Holidays: Festive Meals for Celebrating the Year

The traditions and recipes of Judaism are celebrated in this beautiful modern cookbook geared toward kids and their families. Eleven Jewish holidays are discussed and accompanied by recipes for the ancient and modern foods traditionally served. Kids can lead the charge on braiding their first challah or making their own kugel, while spending time learning about Jewish history and heritage.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8

More than 40 recipes are included for celebrations from Shabbat to Lag B'Omer. Several introductions explain cooking tools, kitchen safety, and the general principles of keeping kosher, and brief background information is given for each holiday. Simple step-by-step instructions make the recipes easy, and some include shortcuts such as using store-bought dough. Each one makes clear whether the food is meat, dairy, or pareve (neither), and sidebars offer variants and cooking tips. For example, the recipe for "Chicken Noodle Soup" calls for butter or margarine, and suggests vegetable oil or olive oil as alternatives. Most of the recipes are traditional, including both Ashkenazic and Sephardic dishes, but there are a few creative twists such as "Savory Cheese Sofganiyot " (doughnuts) for Hanukkah instead of the usual jelly filling. Beautiful color photographs, both full page and spot, whet the appetite. While readers will garner only a superficial understanding of the holidays from this book, they will gain a great appreciation for Jewish flavors.-Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL

Jill Bloomfield is DK's resident kid's cooking expert. She is also the creator of a kids cooking consulting company, Picky Eaters. Originally a microbusiness that provided hands-on kids' cooking parties in clients' homes, Picky Eaters evolved as the "kids in the kitchen" trend caught fire (though, thankfully, her clients' kitchens did not). In addition to her work in the world of kids cooking, Jill also teaches English, public speaking and Jewish culture classes in Rockville, MD.

Rabbi Janet Ozur-Bass is a rabbi, mother, teacher, and self-proclaimed foodie. She lives with her three children and her husband, a cantor, in Rockville, Maryland.