April 2022 - Page 8 of 14 - Anastasia Suen

A Persian Passover
by Etan Basseri (Author) and Rashin Kheiriyeh (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Ezra and Roza are helping to prepare for their Passover celebration. Ezra is proud to be in charge of bringing his family’s flour to the synagogue to be baked into matzah in a traditional wood-burning oven. But when Ezra makes a mistake and the matzah is ruined, what will he and his sister Roza, do? Join the siblings as they experience the sights, smells, sounds, and unique traditions of a seder in Iran of the 1950s.

Snippet: Their kitchen was buzzing with activity: chopping, stirring, and simmering. As Roza passed by, she saw piles of dates, golden raisins, pistachios, almonds, and other ingredients that Mama would mix together later that day for hallaq, the Persian charoset used during the Passover seder.

Earth Friend Forever
by Molly Bloom (Author), Marc Sanchez (Author), Sanden Totten (Author), and Mike Orodán (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop | IndieBound

Booktalk: Told in the form of a letter from Earth to the reader, this picture book takes an in-depth look at how the actions of humans, particularly their use of plastic, is impacting the planet and how they can make simple changes in their every day life to help protect the place they call home. Additional back matter includes information on what plastic is and how it’s made, as well as scientific solutions that are currently in the works.

Snippet: Like the other day I was admiring my oceans, and what did I find? So much plastic! In fact, every year, over eight millions tons end up there!