Celebrate!
Stories of the Jewish Holidays
By Gilda Berger
Paintings by Peter Catalanotto
Scholastic, $17.95
ISBN 0590935038

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Holidays come and go too quickly these days, but, if you are Jewish, you'll always be prepared with the new Celebrate! In this handsome, new book, Gilda Berger retells the biblical stories behind eight of the most loved Jewish holidays, including the weekly Shabbat.

"My family welcomes every reason to celebrate. . . . As book people -- as well as 'People of the Book' -- every holiday celebration involves getting the right book to fit the occasion." For Berger, "getting the right book" meant putting the holidays into historical context and extending their observance with cooking and other activities to give them meaning. When she couldn't find one, she wrote Celebrate! for her four grandchildren.

Each holiday is introduced by a retelling of the original biblical story, made clear in the title, e.g., "Rosh Hashanah: The Binding of Isaac." Scripture references for Berger's careful adaptations are given at the end of each story. These are followed by brief segments telling "What We Celebrate" and "How We Celebrate." Then the fun begins with several activities in "Crafts and Food."

A full-page, full-color illustration by Peter Catalanotto introduces each holiday, with smaller ones at intervals. Timelines also help young readers locate the historical origin of the holidays.

Berger is the author of more than 60 books for children, and her experience is evident in the lively and easy-to-understand text. She writes in a style that suggests warm family experiences and obviously wants many other families to feel the richness of their faith.