Michelle Edwards

A recent discussion in the children’s books group I run on another site, about the potential for sadness at the holidays, reminded me that this is a time of year when we are particularly conscious of the absence of loved ones, and find their loss especially painful. This is turn reminded me of Papa's Latkes, a picture book I had been meaning to read for some time.

It is the story of Selma and Dora Skolnick, two young girls facing their first Chanukah after the loss of their mother. When show more their father arrives home on the first night of the holiday, with all the ingredients necessary for latkes, the girls try to do everything just as Mama would have. But Papa's latkes just aren't the same...

A sensitive portrayal of a family struggling to cope with their loss, while carrying on the holiday traditions, Edwards' narrative never descends into sentimentality. Accompanied by Stacey Schuett's expressive gouache illustrations, this lovely picture book would make an excellent reading selection for a young child facing his or her first holiday without a loved one. show less

Sophia enjoys helping her next-door-neighbor Mrs. Goldman with her knitted hats, contributing the pompoms. But when she notices that Mrs. Goldman, who knits for the entire neighborhood, doesn't have a hat of her own, the young girl sets out the create one herself. Unfortunately, her lack of practice results in a somewhat lumpy end product. Can she give her friend such a gift? Or is there something she can do to improve it...?

A sweet story of friendship across both generational and cultural show more lines - Sophia herself is Mexican-American, while Mrs. Goodman is Jewish - A Hat for Mrs. Goodman emphasizes the importance of kindness, generosity, and (as the sub-title reveals) love. I enjoy stories about friendship between elderly people and children, and how they each bring something important - experience and enthusiasm, usually - to the relationship, so I appreciated Michelle Edwards' tale. I also enjoyed the artwork by G. Brian Karas, from the decorative end-papers to the somewhat stylized but expressive main characters. Recommended to anyone looking for picture-books featuring knitting, cross-cultural and inter-generational friendship, and/or kindness in general. show less

Almost a circle story: Rody, aka Chicken Man, happily cycles through several jobs on his kibbutz while missing his chickens, until he returns to his favorite job working with chickens. His joy and success at whatever he does make others want to take over his current job.

Sophia is not very good at knitting. She prefers to make pom-poms for the hats that Mrs. Goldman makes for everyone. "'Keeping keppies warm is our mitzvah,' says Mrs. Goldman, kissing the top of Sophia's head. 'This is your keppie, and a mitzvah is a good deed.'" But when Mrs. Goldman gives her own hat away and goes on their walks bare-headed, Sophia is determined to make her a special hat, no matter how hard it is. A sweet story of intergenerational (and diverse - Sophia is Mexican and Mrs. show more Goldman is Jewish) love and knitting. And "hats off" to illustrator G. Brian Karas for learning to knit in preparation for working on this story! show less