A review by elizabethlk
Passover Around the World by Tami Lehman-Wilzig
2.0
Passover Around the World is a bit of a mixed bag, which is disappointing since I really enjoyed Hanukkah Around the World.
Pros: There is a lot of information included about Passover in general, as well as practices in specific regions and by specific ethnic groups. Whether a child is a Jew or a Gentile, there shouldn't be any difficulties understanding this book or learning something new from it. The illustrations are cute. The recipes at the end sound tasty.
Cons: My number one issue is that the slur for the Amazigh people is used instead of Amazigh or Imazighen. I also took issue with how even though most of the countries were ones that still have a Jewish population (of various sizes), almost all of the stories were set in Israel--that is hardly the "Passover Around the World" the title promises. I also didn't think the recipes included with each story were presented half as well as the recipes at the end.
Even though I did learn from it, I wouldn't feel right about recommending it. At the very least, it would need a modern edit to update the language it uses, and a more thorough edit wouldn't be amiss. As an adult, I can recognise the flaws in the book and set them aside from the new information, but this is a children's book, and we really don't need to pass that stuff down to children for them to need to unlearn later.
Pros: There is a lot of information included about Passover in general, as well as practices in specific regions and by specific ethnic groups. Whether a child is a Jew or a Gentile, there shouldn't be any difficulties understanding this book or learning something new from it. The illustrations are cute. The recipes at the end sound tasty.
Cons: My number one issue is that the slur for the Amazigh people is used instead of Amazigh or Imazighen. I also took issue with how even though most of the countries were ones that still have a Jewish population (of various sizes), almost all of the stories were set in Israel--that is hardly the "Passover Around the World" the title promises. I also didn't think the recipes included with each story were presented half as well as the recipes at the end.
Even though I did learn from it, I wouldn't feel right about recommending it. At the very least, it would need a modern edit to update the language it uses, and a more thorough edit wouldn't be amiss. As an adult, I can recognise the flaws in the book and set them aside from the new information, but this is a children's book, and we really don't need to pass that stuff down to children for them to need to unlearn later.