Susan Schnur

A young girl named Annie and her Jewish family celebrate Hanukkah in their own unique way in this holiday picture book from mother and daughter co-authors Susan Schnur and Anna Schnur-Fishman, and illustrator Alex Steele-Morgan. Walking in the woods near their home, the family is led by Anna through four stages, each involving a riddle. At Old Log the family are asked to consider the history of one of their ancestors (with hot potatoes provided); a meditation on the things that frighten us is held at Squeezy Cave, in honor of the darkness of the season; the potatoes themselves become the menorah at Billy Goat's Bridge; and at Turtle Rock, the family enjoy potatoes and snow cones. The book closes with a retelling of the traditional Hanukkah story...

Potatoes at Turtle Rock is strongly reminiscent of this author/illustrator team's earlier picture-book centered around a Jewish holiday, Tachlich at Turtle Rock, which explored the celebration of Rosh Hashanah, and the custom of tashlich. Here the focus is on Hanukkah, but the structure of the story—the four-stage observation of the holiday in the nearby woods—and the theme of religious practice in harmony with nature, are similar. Susan Schnur is a Reconstructionist rabbi, and the earlier book was apparently based upon her own family's Rosh Hashanah traditions, leading me to believe that this title is likewise based on their Hanukkah traditions. Although I didn't find this one quite as appealing as its predecessor, I did enjoy it, appreciating the theme of unconventional and deeply personal religious observances. The illustrations, done by British artist Alex Steele-Morgan, are as colorful and appealing as in the first book, and add to the enjoyment. Recommended to those looking for less traditional Hanukkah stories for young children.… (més)

Led by Annie, the daughter of the house, a Jewish family celebrates on the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah by observing the custom of Tashlich in their own unique way. Walking in the beautiful autumn woods near their home, they make four stops. At Turtle Rock they each write something good that happened in the past year on the stone, before erasing it with water. Next they come to Billy Goat's Bridge, where each family member throws away a symbolic natural item - an acorn cap, some leaves - representing a transgression for which they repent, or something about themselves they'd like to change. At Gypsy Landing, each must promise to do something in the coming year, leaving a wet footprint on the 'new year's rock' as testimony of their resolve. Finally, at Old Log, the family sit together and enjoy apples dipped in honey, symbolizing the sweetness of the Jewish New Year, while reciting a special prayer written by the mother.

A lovely picture-book, one which shows a religious practice in harmony with nature, Tashlich at Turtle Rock was the debut children's title from Reconstructionist Rabbi Susan Schnur and her young daughter, Anna Schnur-Fishman, and is based upon their own family's personal observances of Rosh Hashanah and Tashlich. The latter, a custom in which the previous year's transgressions are symbolically cast off, in the form of bread or other food items, which are thrown into a flowing body of water, is described in the author's afterword as "minimal but powerful," leading her family to invent additional customs to amplify the meaning of the observance. I enjoyed this story, both because it highlights a religious practice in which ecological awareness is incorporated into pre-existing traditions, and because it can provide inspiration for other Jewish families looking to expand their Rosh Hashanah rituals. The illustrations, done by British artist Alex Steele-Morgan, are colorful and appealing. Recommended to anyone looking for Rosh Hashanah stories for young children, especially stories featuring less traditional Jewish families.… (més)

This book explains the tradition of tashlich, a religious act that many Jewish people do in between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. It explains the process and the meaning behind it through a story about a family continuing their tradition of going into the park and doing their own tashlich tradition. This book also explains that every family's tradition is different, but it doesn't make it any less sacred. This book was a nice story that relates well to the Jewish culture, and explains the significance of one of the most important traditions in Judaism. The illustations also add well to the story, each page filled with vibrant fall colors, with text that blends into the pages, just enough to be seen, but not distract from the images.… (més)