Toby Belfer And The High Holy Days

Gr 1-3-When Toby asks her best friend’s forgiveness for an accidental bumping and for calling her little brother “la biblioteca,” an unusual so-called “insult,” it provides a reason to describe to her friend how and why Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are celebrated. The dialogue is adult and stilted, and the plot is slight. The bland, full-color illustrations in which people’s faces look similarly distorted do not contribute to the overall effort. Cathy Goldberg Fishman’s On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (Atheneum, 1997) is a better choice.

Amy Kellman, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Ages 5-8. Toby Belfer apologizes to her friend, Donna, for any wrong she may have committed against her, and when Donna wonders why, Toby explains that during the High Holy Days, Jews reflect, make amends, and think of ways to do better. Toby often sounds more like she’s giving a speech than having a conversation with a friend, but the story does get across the meaning of these Jewish holidays and the requisite introspection that accompanies them. Most of the art on the oversize pages, vaguely reminiscent of the work of Trina Schart Hyman, is suitable, although several pictures, including the one where Toby is tasting a piece of honey cake, are overdone, and a subplot about Toby’s dog giving birth to puppies seems an intrusion. Still, though there are many books explaining how to celebrate the High Holy Days, this one focuses on why. For larger collections. Ilene Cooper
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