The Rosh Hashanah recipe

Buoyed by gentle humor, this first slice-of-life installment of the Ruby Celebrates! series opens with the eponymous protagonist and her cousins picking far too many apples to solely dip in honey or to bake a single apple cake. In the Ivanovs' straightforward, animation-style art, the kids, portrayed with varied skin tones, present a solution: they enlist two adults as sous chefs, create their own recipes, present themselves as "Chef Appleman," "Chef Applestein," and "Chef Appleberg"--hosts of "Cooking with the Cousins"--and whip up apple pancakes, pizza, and lasagna. After Rosh Hashanah services ("They pray, sing, and listen to the shofar," Gehl writes) and a festive meal, the prospect of more apple-eating is too much: they gift a pretty basketful to a grateful neighbor and let family dog Boaz finish off the rest. Recipes and a holiday overview conclude. Ages 4--8. (Sept.)

PreS-Gr 2--Ruby and her cousins go apple picking just before the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. While they will need apples to dip in honey to symbolize a sweet New Year and to make the traditional apple cake, they realize that they have picked far too many. So the cousins decide to host a cooking show to try new recipes such as apple lasagna, apple pizza, and apple pancakes. When they still have apples left over, they make up a basket to give to their neighbor. Cheerful cartoon illustrations depict a three-generation contemporary Jewish family who also observes the holiday by attending synagogue. "A Note About Rosh Hashanah" is appended, but oddly begins by explaining the custom of eating a sheep's head or fish head, which is not common in the United States. Ruby's Savory Apple Pizza Recipe and Sweet Apple Pizza Recipe are also included. VERDICT Jewish and non-Jewish readers will relate to Ruby's family outing to the apple orchard. However, with no real conflict or suspense, there's not much of a story here. An optional purchase.--Rachel Kamin

Buoyed by gentle humor, this first slice-of-life installment of the Ruby Celebrates! series opens with the eponymous protagonist and her cousins picking far too many apples to solely dip in honey or to bake a single apple cake. In the Ivanovs' straightforward, animation-style art, the kids, portrayed with varied skin tones, present a solution: they enlist two adults as sous chefs, create their own recipes, present themselves as "Chef Appleman," "Chef Applestein," and "Chef Appleberg"—hosts of "Cooking with the Cousins"—and whip up apple pancakes, pizza, and lasagna. After Rosh Hashanah services ("They pray, sing, and listen to the shofar," Gehl writes) and a festive meal, the prospect of more apple-eating is too much: they gift a pretty basketful to a grateful neighbor and let family dog Boaz finish off the rest. Recipes and a holiday overview conclude. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

PreS-Gr 2—Ruby and her cousins go apple picking just before the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. While they will need apples to dip in honey to symbolize a sweet New Year and to make the traditional apple cake, they realize that they have picked far too many. So the cousins decide to host a cooking show to try new recipes such as apple lasagna, apple pizza, and apple pancakes. When they still have apples left over, they make up a basket to give to their neighbor. Cheerful cartoon illustrations depict a three-generation contemporary Jewish family who also observes the holiday by attending synagogue. "A Note About Rosh Hashanah" is appended, but oddly begins by explaining the custom of eating a sheep's head or fish head, which is not common in the United States. Ruby's Savory Apple Pizza Recipe and Sweet Apple Pizza Recipe are also included. VERDICT Jewish and non-Jewish readers will relate to Ruby's family outing to the apple orchard. However, with no real conflict or suspense, there's not much of a story here. An optional purchase.—Rachel Kamin