On Purim

An accurate portrayal of the mitzvot and customs (minhagim) involved in the celebration of Purim, along with a synopsis of the Purim story. Excellent, colorful illustrations. By 2000, when the book was written, we might expect a more appropriate description of King Ahasuerus than "a silly king who partied all the time." (After all, this is the king who banishes his wife for not displaying her naked body at his drunken bash, then holds a beauty pageant to select the next member of his harem, and then agrees to kill all of the Jews in his kingdom until Esther steps in to intervene. I am not suggesting that these details be included in this picture book but rather that there be some indication that the king is at the very least, ignoble.) show more Dressing as "gypsies" is also an insensitivity that could easily have been avoided. Still, a good, simple book about Purim. - Marla S. show less

One of the best books on holidays created by Fishman and Hall, this combines evocative illustrations with a narrative that is sensitive to the paradoxes of a holiday in which God's name in never mentioned.

The devil has sought to thwart God's promise of the Advent of the Seed of the Woman from the very beginning. Through Haman, he sought to exterminate the Jewish people through whom Christ was yet to come. Through Herod, he sought to slaughter the newborn Christ by killing the innocents of Bethlehem. But the devil has failed, being caught in his own trap, as was Haman in the time of Queen Esther. He is defeated by the Power of the Cross of Christ.

Masks, food, the story of Purim through fiction