August 1, 2003
A preschool class prepares for the festival of Sukkot (which this year begins on October 10) in It's Sukkah Time! by Latifa Berry Kropf, photos by Tod Cohen. Aided by their teacher, the children build and decorate a sukkah, then feast within. Included are blessings as well as directions for making a toy-size sukkah from supermarket containers.
February 15, 2004
PreS-Gr 1-As the information given is minimal, this book works best for those already familiar with the Jewish holiday. With simple text and crisp, color photographs, Kropf explains that Sukkot is a harvest festival. Children are shown helping to build a sukkah, to decorate it, and to eat inside it. They also make one for their classroom and one for their toys. Directions for the mini sukkah and the holiday blessings are appended. There is no explanation of why one builds a sukkah, or how the holiday itself is observed, except in a note on the verso of the title page that can be easily overlooked. However, as there are few books on Sukkot, religious schools and libraries serving large Jewish populations may want to consider adding this title.-Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT
Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.