Happy Passover, Rosie

In this darling 21-page book, Rosie and her brother Max spent the night before Passover hunting for stray breadcrumbs with a feather and wooden spoons. Grandma dusted the shelves with the feather and Grandpa held a glowing candle and a small box for the crumbs. (They did this of course, to ensure that their house was clean of chametz, or leavened bread, before sundown opened the eight-day festival of Pessach.)The next morning, Rosie and Max helped their Grandpa burn the box of chametz while Grandma made soup and matzoh balls for their Seder meal. This year, the matzoh balls were fluffy and light, floating in the soup. Before sundown the family started to arrive, bringing with them wet kisses and huge hugs. At the Seder, Rosie sat with her cousin Beni, and watched as Grandpa broke the middle matzoh, the Afikoman, in half and hid the matzoh when no one was looking. The children would have to find it for the family to have their desert after the meal.Since Rosie was the youngest, she had to ask the Four Questions, beginning with "Why is this night different from all other nights? On all other nights we eat bread or matzoh. Why tonight, only matzoh?" Rosie needed a little help from Max, and Sara whispered a hint when Rosie forgot a word. But Rosie did such a good job singing the questions that Mama and Papa were very proud.Everyone poured a bit of wine from their cups to mourn for the Egyptians' suffering during the Ten Plagues. Rosie hid under the table for much of the Seder, but came out in time to eat the bitter herbs and haroset to symbolize the bricks that the Jewish people were forced to make when they were slaves. Finally, it was time for the meal.Elijah's arrival frightened Rosie, but I won't spoil the last several pages by telling you why. The book includes a page explaining the seven foods on the Seder plate, and the Four Questions, in large easy-to-read Hebrew (with vowels) and English. This story, a favorite during the children's little years, was so well used the pages are taped. Alyssa A. Lappen