Wonders and Miracles: Passover Companion: A Passover Companion

I'm not sure what all the hype was about; this is a nice companion work, but nothing more than that.

Have bought these books for guests to my Passover dinner each year for three years, everyone has loved the books & has said that they have learned so much from their investigation of the material on their own.

fine

I'm a Christian homeschooler and got this book as part of our Ancient Israel study on Jewish holidays. It came highly recommended and, if nothing else, the book is beautiful to look at. The Jewish art and captions throughout are a real treat.The information included is good too, as it explains each step very slowly, in little bites, until you're all the way through the seder. And it explains the reasoning behind each step. I liked, for example, the explanation of the ten plagues and how they each corresponded to hardships the Egyptians inflicted upon the Hebrews. Elsewhere I had learned that the plagues corresponded to judgment on particular Egyptian god/goddesses, so this little revelation was new and helpful for me and my kids.I also liked how it included an Elijah story to help explain why the children open the door for Elijah on Pesach. i had been looking for this in other Passover resources with no luck.I also appreciated the emphasis on pursuing justice on behalf of the disadvantaged in the world.I was not so happy with the brief editorial about global warming that was made, but that's just me. I don't think we're bringing "plagues" upon ourselves in the same way that God brought plagues on the Egyptians, as Kimmel says. Sowing and reaping is important for children to understand, I think the analogy is a bad one.

This book won the National Jewish Book Award from the Jewish Book Council and was named a Sydney Taylor Honor Book by the Association of Jewish Libraries in 2004. In addition, Eric Kimmel was named the 2004 Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award winner for his overall contributions to Judaic children's literature.This "Passover companion" follows the order of the seder but inserts explanations, background information, interpretations, and illustrative stories that flesh out the meaning of each traditional step. The book provides a very complete package, and the author explains that it should be read before the holiday and used as a resource during the seder, as it is too long to be used as a haggadah.The reader is immediately struck by the sumptuousness of the illustrations, which are reproduced in vibrant color from many sources. We see details from medieval haggadot, photographs of Judaic ritual objects, paintings, and even a few modern book illustrations. Captions tell us the source of each illustration and explain the significance of the objects or actions depicted. The book's design includes thick paper, plenty of white space, and decorative elements in gold.Most spreads include an illustration, but there are a few that are somewhat text-heavy. Some of the longer sections, especially those that retell the stories of Joseph and Moses, are a bit dry. The text is clearly written but frequently employs sophisticated vocabulary; the book is aimed at families rather than at child-readers. Older children and teens (and adults) will come away from this book with a deeper understanding of Passover and its rituals.

I love this book! I'm not sure how useful it will be as a Haggadah for pesach since it is a big heavy hardcover. However, it is an absolute pleasure to look through for its gorgeous illustrations from Jewish art of the past three thousand years. I adore illuminations from the Haggadot and this book certainly renders much of jewish art very well.Along with the old traditions the author has sprinkled in gems from contemporary judaism as well. Miriam's cup has its own section and story, Debbie Friedman's songs The Promise and I am the Afikoman are in here. There's a tiny recipe section for Charoset, Tzimmes, a coupel of kugels and macaroons. Stories from the Midrash and stories from History are scattered throughout the book.I don't see this book being used at the actual seder table but it will definitely be put out around Passover time for the kids and family to look through and enjoy.