The Little Red Hen and The Passover Matzah
Written by: Leslie Kimmelman
Illustrated by: Paul Meisel
Holiday House, 2010
29 pages
Multicultural
I chose to read this story because I am unfamiliar with the holiday Passover and I became curious about it after seeing this book. For eight days every spring, the Jewish culture celebrates Passover as a symbol of freedom. In The Little Red Hen and The Passover Matzah a little hen prepares for the first dinner celebration of Passover, Seder. To prepare, the little hen decides that she wants to make matzah; therefore, the little hen begins by planting wheat. The little hen asks her friends to assist her, but they only say things such as "not I,"and "sorry, bub." So, the little hen does it herself. As time passes, the little hen continues harvesting her wheat and for each step of the harvest she asks for assistance from her friends, but every time they give the same answers. When the first day of Passover finally arrives, the little hen makes her matzah and sits down to enjoy her meal. As she is sitting, the little hen's friends arrive wanting to join her for the meal. The little hen doesn't want to let her friends join her because they didn't help her, but she decides to let them in the spirit of the holiday. After the meal, it is time to clean up and the little hen says "not I."So her friends finally help out and clean up.
The illustrations in this story were beautifully done in pastels and watercolors. The text, however, is placed informally. From page to page the illustrations take you though the steps of the harvest while showing the humor of the characters.
This story has not won any awards, but it would make an excellent multicultural addition for a classroom library. Along with the story, the book contains a passage in the back telling all about Passover, a glossary, and a matzah recipe. I would recommend this story for grades second and up and I would use this story as a way to teach students about Passover. This story could also make a good discussion on friendship and character education.
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