Passover Books

This cookbook contains over 100 kosher-for-Passover recipes from all over the world, so nearly everyone will find some familiar and many unusual recipes. Most recipes are preceded by notes about their origin, and nearly all are accompanied by beautiful, full-page color photos. I turn to this book whenever I want to make something out of the ordinary and have generally had excellent success, though there have been occasional duds. A few recipes include legumes, which are used by Sephardic but not Ashkenazic Jews during Passover; if you follow Ashkenazic tradition, be sure to read the ingredient lists carefully.

Nira Rousso has accomplished putting together a delectable array of recipes on glossy paper with fantastic photgraphs of almost every recipe. Each mouthwatering entry comes with some interesting history of origin of the recipe followed by easy to read and understand instructions. No Jewish kitchen should be without it!

The recipes and history included with them are excellent. My friends rave about the taste, quality, ease in preparation and wanted to know where I got the book. It can be used all year not just for Pesach time.

Excerpted from The Orange County Register
April 10, 2003
by Judy Bart Kancigor, author of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family

Some good things deserve repeating. Zell Schulman's exhaustive Passover
guide, "Let My People Eat," is now in paperback, renamed "Passover Seders
Made Simple" (Wiley). It contains everything you ever wanted to know
or thought to ask about the Seder, the traditional meal that commemorates the deliverance of the Jews from slavery in Egypt.

Calling herself an "ecumenical Jewess" - "I'm a Reform Jew with an
Orthodox heart and a Conservative way of life," she said - Schulman offers
lists for everything from pantry supplies to prohibited foods to Passover
substitutions. She explains the significance of ceremonial items, gives
shopping resources, and offers six Seder menus as well as additional recipes for the eight-day celebration.

Even the novice need not be intimidated under Grandma Zell's encouraging
tutelage. "Don't push the panic button," she advised.

The recipes are keepers: Passover Pizza with a zucchini crust, Shiitake
Mushroom-Bell Pepper Matzo Kugel, Roast Lamb with Garlic Rosemary Sauce,
Chocolate Mousse Tort. All are delivered in her breezy style that reveals her upbeat outlook. "Life is a gift," Schulman told me. "You open the package, and you deal with it."

This carrot salad makes a delicious starter. "It's the best appetizer that you can use for the rest of the year too," she said.

ALLEGRIA COHEN'S CHIZU SALADA (CARROT SALAD)
2 lbs. peeled baby carrots
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes or ground red pepper
juice of 1 large lemon
2 TBS. olive oil
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Place the carrots in a medium saucepan. Cover with cold water and cook over
medium heat until the tip of a knife can pierce them, about 15 minutes. Do
not overcook. Drain and let cool. In a small bowl, mix cumin, paprika, salt,red pepper flakes, lemon juice and olive oil together. Add this to the cooked carrots and gently coat them. Let cool for 20 minutes. Garnish with the parsley. These may be prepared up to 1 week before the Seder. Serve at room temperature. Makes 8 servings.

I used this book to help me set the table as well as for the recipes inside. I couldn't have had my Seder without it.

I had this book for a year or two before I really tried out the recipes one year. They are excellent!

Zell Shulman organizes her book into numerous Pesach menus, such as Ashkenazic, Sephardic, Health-Conscious, Easy to Prepare, and Ecumenical Potluck. There are grocery lists and timelines accompanying each menu and they really help to streamline the task of pulling together a Seder meal.

Even though the layout and organization was impressive, I wasn't sure I would find the recipes to be as good as promised. When I served the Sephardic menu, it was really good! Everyone devoured the food and it felt wonderful to present such a lavish meal that still allowed me to enjoy the holiday and my friends and family in a relaxed fashion.

One other plus: the author includes many additional recipes that help round out the eight day holiday. My reason for four stars: her "Easy to Prepare" seder scares me a little, although in fairness I haven't tried the recipes.

This book is very good for young children of all ages. It teaches the children in a fun way why we celebrate Passover and the history about it.

Sammy Spider was fast asleep in his family web up on the Shapiro's ceiling. A warm spring sun shown through the window, and suddenly a loud noise wakened him.

Mr. Shapiro was dusting the ceiling with a broom. Sammy's mother explained that each spring, when the Shapiro family cleaned for Passover, the Spiders made a new web. As his mother told him how to spin a web, Sammy was distracted by the squares on the table below.

"That's called matzah." Mrs. Spider explained that the Shapiros would eat it at their special meal, called a seder, which also featured a big platter with a roasted egg, bone, parsley, charoset and bitter herbs to help them celebrate. Sammy watched Mr. Shapiro hide the afikomen. After the meal, his son Josh would have try to find it to earn a prize.

Sammy was simply not interested in making a web. He listened to Josh ask the Four Questions--why was this night different from all other nights? When Josh hunted for the Afikomen, he also found a special present from Sammy Spider. But that's a secret also hidden--between the covers of this cute book.

This book is a special Pessach delight for the three-and-under set. Alyssa A. Lappen

Mrs. Rouss, I know this sounds hard to belive, but I was in your pre school class at Beth Tofilah in Baltimore! I loved your book! Very creative!

Those familiar with Greeley's books know Cardinal Cronin well. This is the story of his family and his rise to the Cardinal's hat. This is a typical Greeley book, full of intrigue, action, mystery and church lore. Wonderful story told by a master.

Being the first book that I have read by Andrew Greenley, this is a must read. Greenleys character Father Sean is really a mans man, who trails thru life with loving one woman brings him closer to his God. Of course Greeley brings out that the Church is always there with its corruption and old ways that need to change. I found this to be delightful book that needed just a little more personal interaction between man and woman on the spirital and sexual level. Definately a must have, and I for one will pick up another book by Rev. Greeley to enjoy another jounry down the path of dark secrets of the Catholic faith. A. L. Wood

Paul and Sean Cronin, sons of Michael Cronin, a self made millionaire, have their futures mapped out for them by their father when only young boys-Paul is destined for politics and a future presidency and Sean is to be a priest and then Cardinal.Norah Riley, daughter of a friend of Michael is brought into the house when she is orphaned as a child and is destined to be the future wife of Paul.Sean rises through the ranks of the clergy, still protesting his religious doubts and is even more uncertain after a brief affair with Norah. Paul also reises through the ranks in politics with help from money and criminal connections. It's a story of power struggles, conscience struggles, lust and ambition-in the church as well as in the government.

This is a very simple book which is great for very young children. My only complaint would be that it does not explain why children look for the Afikomen, or explain any of the objects it shows (Elijah's cup, the Haggadah, etc.) But this book does interest my 1 year old son. He seems to understand that it is fun and exciting to search for something, and follows the search in the book avidly. I would say that this story is best for the very young, and for older children, you may want a book that is more "in depth" about Pesach.

I bought this charming, 10 page picturebook to give to my one-year old granddaughter at our Passover Seder. However, I enjoyed the colorful illustrations and whimsical humor so much, that I read the book to her before the holidays. And as she saw the little girl in the book looking for "something" under, in, on top of, and next to, familiar objects, she was captivated by the pictures. I am not sure that she understands what an "afikomen" is, but she most certainly likes the book....and recognizes that matzah is something to eat!

We loved reading this book to my nephew before his first Passover. As he gets older, he'll appreciate the "hunt" of finding the afikomen! A cute story for introducing a child to the traditions of Pesach.

This little "How To" book offers an easy way for Christians to experience a Passover meal (from a Christian perspective). It is not overly complicated and it is not the best Messianic Haggadah I have seen, but it is one of the easiest to follow and will serve its purpose.

It is easy to use for the average Gentile family or religious group. It will help to inform readers on the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. It is both informative and useful.

This book explains in very easy to use terms how to host, setup, and celebrate a Christian Passover Dinner/Service. The layout is excellent, with explanations of everything from why do it, to music, to recipies. The book also gives formats for small family in-home dinners as well as large church dinners. The scripting is easy to follow for both leaders and participants. The subject matter is updated so that it is pertinent now, i.e. includes plagues of our century. It allows for the need to shorten the time frame, if necessary, without short-changing the authenticity of the service. I recommend it to anyone who wants to host a Passover/Last Supper commemoration.

The addition of a dinosaur - a toddler favorite - to a Pesach story makes this book a real hit with my 2 1/2 year old daughter. Fun pictures and rhymes.

The "bigger than life" orange guest that was introduced in Dinosaur on Hanukkah, returns for another Jewish holiday celebration. This time the overzealous reptile wants to participate in all the Passover rituals with a little boy and his family, no matter how difficult the preparations appear to be! The little boy puts his oversized new friend to work and together they remove the forbidden foods, prepare horseradish, sing the four questions, drink the wine, retell the story of the Exodus, eat matzah, search for the afikomen, and open the door for Elijah. Although "Dino" is very enthusiastic and very focused on being helpful, his huge hulk makes him very clumsy and causes him to wreck havoc at the Seder. The family is naturally relieved when after all his hard work, Dino misses the end of Passover by falling asleep! The simple rhyming text has a lyrical cadence that will be enjoyable to share out loud: " He searches for the afikomen/ The books fly left and right/ I have to help him find it/ So it doesn't take all night." Colorful double-page acrylic illustrations complement the text with many humorous details. In addition, a brief endnote succinctly explains the meaning of Passover, which may spark interest in finding out more about the holiday. For ages 3-5. Reviewed by Debra S. Gold

My son couldn't get enough of this book. Its baseball "spin" is captivating, especially at a time of the year when many are beginning to think about or enjoy the sport. I especially liked the message that being a Jew isn't always easy, but it is important to "do the right thing."

Aaron is excited when he is invited to join other members of his softball team at a major league baseball game, but his feelings quickly turn to disappointment when his mother points out that since the game takes place during Passover, Aaron will have to take a kosher-for-Passover bag lunch with him instead of buying all the usual ballpark goodies. Things go from bad to worse when his (non-Jewish) friends eat up all of his matzah, macaroons, etc., and then leave him alone as they go off to the concession stand. Suddenly, a mysterious old man shows up to befriend the unhappy Aaron and recounts his childhood visits to Ebbets Field during Passover, when the stands were filled with kids eating matzah. He hands Aaron a piece of his own matzah, which the boy then uses to miraculously catch a home run ball. But when Aaron turns around to thank his benefactor, the old man is gone. Can it be...??? I have read this book aloud with great success to many kindergarteners and first graders in my yeshiva library--the boys really get a kick out of combining Passover and baseball.

This book was sent in a timely manner and was in very good condition. It is just what a team of us were looking for in developing a curriculum for this year's Bible School, based on the Jewish Passover.--Thank-you so much.--Blinda Baxter

This story and activity book begins with a fairly detailed 25-page account of the story of the Exodus illustrated by simple cartoon-like drawings. Additional information like "While the Bible doesn't give the name of the pharaoh's daughter, Bible commentators say it was Bithia" (p.10) is included in small text boxes along with interesting "Fun Facts." The Activity Section features craft projects ranging from a simple Haggadah book cover to a more complex Seder plate and Matzah holder. The directions are clear and easy to follow, and the accompanying illustrations are helpful. Recipes for Sephardic and Ashkenazi Charoset, the words to "Who Knows One" and "Chad Gadya" and the four questions in English are also included. Like with Eight Lights for Eight Nights: A Hanukkah Story and Activity Book (2003), this resource will be quite useful for educators and those who enjoy holiday crafts. For ages 6 - 12. Reviewed by Rachel Kamin

This was one of two books I bought my 1-year-old this year, for her second Pesach and my only disappointment is that I've since discovered it comes in a boxed set with a book on Shabbat and one on Chanukah (I think); it's definitely worth spending a bit more and getting all three!

This is a catch-all book that includes a little bit on the story of the exodus, Passover customs and the seder itself.

There are lots of photos of real kids re-enacting the Moses story - much older than the book's typical reader, but still, it's nice to see children's faces. There's also a page of music notation with a girl singing "Mah Nishtana" - our baby loves to flip to that page and hand the book to one of us to sing for her!

If I had to complain about something it would be the final page, featuring Passover colours, which seems a little forced to me - like somebody was trying to figure out what to stick in there. The colours and pictures chosen simply aren't all that interesting ...brown nuts, for example, or a yellow feather (the book doesn't explain how the feather comes into the story). Still, it doesn't detract from the book as a whole, and I'd still love to get the other two in this series.

Kudos to DK publishing for helping to fill the vacuum of quality Jewish holiday books. Maybe it'll get some of the Jewish publishers figuring out what they can do to liven up their offerings.

This would also make a lovely Passover gift to families with young children (1-4).

If you only can buy one Passover book for your two through six year old, this should be it. The book has more pages than most board books and is a very good value for the money. It tells the story of Passover (many children's books do not) as well as talking about customs and traditions most Jewish children will see. One of the best thing about this series is that it uses faces of real children (ages 5 to 6 approximately) to depict the characters in the book,therefore, making it very eye-appealing to readers. There is something in the book for very young children as well as early readers.