Author Archive

Folks seemed to really like my link round-up for Purim, so I thought I do it again for Passover. Here’s some fun things from around the web:

 

#1 Passover apps are featured in  Tablet magazine. They include, I kid you not, a fake ‘flame’ to search your home for chametz with. This falls under the “what will they of next?” category.

 

#2 An interview  on the  Steven Colbert‘s show with the author of the New American Haggadah had me smiling.

 

#3 Cleaning. Sigh. There is no denying it anymore–it’s time to prep the house. Check out these tips  for fast and efficient cleaning from the experts at Good Housekeeping.

 

#4 My friends over at Koshereye  have a great round-up of original Passover recipes.

 

#5 If your kid has food Allergies, these Passover food tips are really helpful.

 

#6 Haddasah has a great round-up of  Passover kids books.

 

#7 Love this Passover song by the Fountainheads.

 

#8 This is from last year, but it’s still great: What if Moses had facebook? from Aish.

 

#9Visit this one QUICK to enter a Moses & Pharaoh Action figure giveaway over at the Bible Belt Balubusta. (It ends Wednesday)

 

#10 And if I may be so bold as to include myself this time…check out  my Passover artwork here.

 

 

Hope you enjoy the matzah!

 

 

 

If you are looking to make the seder a little more fun for the kids, check out some of these.

#1 Chametz – The Search is On!

#2 Passover Double Puzzle

#3 Passover Box of Questions

#4 Frog Hoppers Game by Viking Toys

 

#5 Frog Parking

 

#6 LEGO Minifigure Collection Series 2 LOOSE Mini Figure Egyptian Pharaoh

 

#7 Moses Action Figure

 

#8 Moses Ten Commandments Sticky Notes

 

#9 Passover Bag of Plagues

 

#10 KidKraft Passover Set

 

You can see also see my reviews of the first three toys: here, here, and here.

…is the most popular question I get asked.

My best advice is this book:

It is a great overview of the market, and really give a novice a sense of what they are in for, I mean, a list of all the wonderful possibilities!

In previous editions, there has also been a nice section devoted to opportunities for children to publish their work.

Happy writing!

Chametz – The Search is On!
Do you like Clue? Then you’ll enjoy this fun Passover boardgame: “Chametz: The Search is On!”

The premise: One evening, a variety of snacks are served to a group of guests in the home of Colonel Moti. One of his guests inadvertently leaves an item of chametz somewhere in the house—and the mystery must be solved! Who left what—and where?

What’s Great:

 

-The concept: As I unpacked the pieces, I laughed out loud at the cleverness. Professor Plum has become Professor Slivovitz, and Colonel Mustard is now Colonel Motti. Too funny.

-The Kosher-ness: So considerate of Sabbath observant players! All the packaging is resealable, so there is no initial ripping, and there are tokens that replace the pad and pencil that Clue used. (no muktzah at all).

The Illustrations: Each of the characters and food illustrations are charming, and have a fun contemporary look to them.

-The Questions: Kids will have opportunities to show off their Yeshiva education by answering the Passover trivia as they roam around the board.

-The Game Play: It’s fun! ‘nuff said.

What’s Not-So-Great

 

-I know this is petty…and maybe ‘Clue’ was like this too…but there is no ‘start’ space on the board, and my kids and I were slightly confused as to where to begin. In the end, we all chose a space randomly and started play.

-The Questions: Yes I put them in the ‘great’ section, because they are. But I think they belong here too, because some of those questions were really obscure (as trivia is wont to be). For example, here’s one that I didn’t know the answer to: What is the literal meaning of Chametz? Answer: Sour or fermented. Younger kids or those not in Yeshiva might find them a little too challenging.

Rating: 5 of 5.
My first perfect toy rating! If it’s appropriate for your families knowledge base, this is a great Jewish game.

While researching her geneaology, kids book author Anna Olswanger found the kernel of her picture book, Shlemiel Crooks

in a Yiddish newspaper article she had uncovered.  The article was about the attempted robbery of her great-grandfather’s kosher liquor store in 1919.

This is the English translation of the article:

 

Reb Eliyahu Olschwanger Almost Robbed

Shlimazel crooks, their work was unsuccessful. Last Thursday at 3:00 a.m. in the middle of the night, several men drove to the saloon of Reb Eliyahu Olschwanger at the corner of 14th and Carr Streets. They opened the saloon and removed several barrels of brandy and beer. Mr. Mankel who lives on the second floor, upon hearing what was going on in the saloon, opened the window and began shouting for help. Benjamin Resnik from 1329 Carr Street, hearing the shouting, shot his revolver from his window. The band of crooks got scared and left everything, including their own horse and wagon and ran away. Police immediately came and took everything to the police station.

Crooks who left with less than they came with!! Now that’s a story. From that Yiddish article of long ago, she  wrote  Shlemiel Crooks which has now been translated to a charming Passover musical, performed by the Poppy Seed Players at the Kaufman Center. It’s still playing, so if you can, stop cleaning already and see a show!

Here are just some of my Passover themed pieces, which you can see (and purchase! Makes an excellent hostess gift!) at www.JewishArtbyAnn.com

 

Click on the image, print and color.

 

And, while you are here, come and see some of my Passover art here.

Chag Kasher V’sameach!

 

 

From Pigment & Hue comes a  cool puzzle with a Passover theme.

What’s great:

The Packaging-They come in these cool triangular boxes that make it seem design-ny, and special.

 

The Quality: The pieces are chunky, thick, and substanitial.

 

The Concept & Execution: Love the idea that all their puzzles have one image to solve on the front, and one on the back. The two pictures are disimilar enough that it’s not hard to figure out which side goes to which picture, which heads off any frustration young ‘uns might have figuring that out.

 

Level of difficulty: They’re not too hard . With only 50 large, brightly colored pieces they are not daunting to a young child.

 

The Content: They get extra points for having the seder plate foods all in the correct order and location. (Kudos for remebering Chazeret, which I always personally forget.)

 

What’s not-so-great:

 

The illustrations: They’re  flat, simple  and very straightforward. I would have liked to see something more whimsical or innovative than just showing the seder plate, 4 cups, and matzah. On a quality product like this, their should be a little more creativity.

 

Overall Rating: 4 0f 5

 

 

Tell me what YOU love:

Do you have a Passover toy or project that your kids just Lu-uu-v?  I will be writing a roundup of great Passover toys and links soon, and I would love to include your favorites. Just post a comment about it here and I will add it to my upcoming list!

You can find the dbl pzl here.

(You might also like their Chanukah puzzle here:

 

Starting with the famous the Mah Nishtana, Passover is a holiday of questions. It is very fitting, then, that Melissa & Doug have created this lovely “Passover Box of Questions: Cards to Create Great Conversations.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(See the Passover Box of Questions here)

 

What’s great about it:

-Most of the questions: They’re fun, they’re interesting, they’re open ended, and are sure to spark discussion. Some of my favorites were: “If you could invite any historical or current person to your seder, who would it be?” or “Afikoman means ‘dessert’: What are some of your favorite Passover desserts?” These are great way to engage guests of all ages during the seder, and throughout the holiday.

 

-The quality: The cards are made from heavy stock, and feel substantial. The box and cover are also not flimsy at all. Unless your 3 year old deliberately destroys them, this toy can make it through many years and  many sedarim.

 

-The design: I love that each individual card looks like it’s own mini-matzah.

What’s not-so-great:

 

-Some of the questions: This product  seems to specifically target to a non-shomer shabbat crowd. Which isn’t necessarily a minus, but a religious family might want to sort out some of the questions that don’t make sense for them. (Like the one that asks, “Do you refrain from eating bread during the entire week of Passover?” In a religious home, that’s kind of a no-brainer, and won’t lead to much of a dialogue.)

 

-The font: Why-oh-why did they write the questions in script? It looks pretty, but now any kid from K-3rd who can read, but hasn’t learned script yet can’t paricipate without assistance.

 

 

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5.

Tell me what YOU love:

Do you have a Passover toy or project that your kids just Lu-uu-v?  I will be writing a roundup of great Passover toys and links soon, and I would love to include your favorites. Just post a comment about it here and I will add it to my upcoming list!

 

PS Thanks to Barbara Krasner at The Whole Megillah for letting me use her brilliant review format!

 

Welcome to the Jewish Book Carnival, a collection of links from great Jewish Book blogs.

As always, there are some great links to surf to this month. Here they are:

 

-Boston Bibliophile reviews of Susan Sherman’s book THE LITTLE RUSSIAN

 

-Needle in the bookstack   interviews Dr. Jonathan Krasner about his book The Benderly Boys & American Jewish Education,  winner of the National Jewish Book Award for American Jewish Studies.

 

-Just in time for baseball season, Jewish Boston hosts  a short interview by Molly Parr with author Josh Berkowitz, who has written a memoir called Third Base for Life about his experience coaching a Jewish Day School baseball team.

 

-Jewish Boston also has a second is a review of children’s books that parents can use to teach Jewish values around Death and Bereavement, by Kathy Bloomfield here.

 

-Barbara Bietz writes about the  Berlin Boxing Club for her stop on the Sydney Taylor Blog book blog tour.

 

-On My Machberet, Erika Dreifus writes about Ayad Akhtar’s American Dervish and wonders how to respond to one question in the “Reader’s Guide” section of Akhtar’s website: “What do you think of the relationship between Islam and Judaism in the novel?”

 

-The Jewish Muse  tells us how Jewish Kids’ Books Can Give Reality Check: Our World Is Diverse

 

-The Whole Megillah hosts an an interview with The Berlin Boxing Club author Robert Sharenow and his HarperCollins editor Kristin Daly Rens and a  review of the debut novel, Blue Thread, of Ruth Tenzer Feldman

 

-And from the Jewish Book Council, we have a a wonderful selection of books for women’s history month and a collection of works on journeys.

and last but not least,

-Check out my link here, where I explain my search for a blog buddy (any takers here?)

 

-and you might also enjoy my review of Amy Meltzer’s The Shabbat Princess here.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!