It's Shofar Time

This is an adorable Rosh Hashanah book for preschoolers. Kids love looking at photographs of other small children blowing the shofar and learning about the Jewish New Year. I think the simple text and photographs of actual children create a very appealing way for preschoolers to learn about the Jewish holidays.

This installment in the photo essay series by Kropf and Cohen centers on the holiday of Rosh Hashanah. The children blow the shofar, create New Year's cards, bake round challah, dip apples in honey, see the Torah dressed in white, and perform tashlich. The text also refers to the New Year as a time to learn new things, try new things, and set goals for the coming year. Instructions for making a shofar craft project are included along with a brief note about Rosh Hashanah. Like the other editions in this series (It's Challah Time, It's Sukkah Time, It's Hanukkah Time, It's Seder Time, and It's Purim Time), It's Shofar Time will be appreciated by Jewish nursery school teachers and their students.

This is the sixth and final addition to the author's excellent Holiday Time series, just in time for Rosh Hashanah! As in the other titles, (It's Challah Time! It's Seder Time! etc.) Tod Cohen's full-color photos capture the joyousness of the children as they learn to celebrate the holiday wearing new clothes, making Jewish New Year's cards for their families, tasting new foods such as pomegranates and star fruits, and blowing the shofar. The sounds of the shofar are explained in easy, understandable terms for this young age level. The children are also shown learning such things as tying their shoes and writing their names. The brief amount of text on each page and very appealing children pictured learning to make round challot and blow the shofar make this just right for using with pre-schoolers, their parents, and in the classroom. Included is an easy shofar craft and a brief paragraph about Rosh Hashanah. Recommended for all Jewish libraries. Ages: 4-6. Reviewed by Andrea Davidson