The Rosh Hashanah Recipe (Ruby Celebrates!)

PreS-Gr 2--Ruby and her cousins go apple picking just before the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. While they will need apples to dip in honey to symbolize a sweet New Year and to make the traditional apple cake, they realize that they have picked far too many. So the cousins decide to host a cooking show to try new recipes such as apple lasagna, apple pizza, and apple pancakes. When they still have apples left over, they make up a basket to give to their neighbor. Cheerful cartoon illustrations depict a three-generation contemporary Jewish family who also observes the holiday by attending synagogue. "A Note About Rosh Hashanah" is appended, but oddly begins by explaining the custom of eating a sheep's head or fish head, which is not common in the United States. Ruby's Savory Apple Pizza Recipe and Sweet Apple Pizza Recipe are also included. VERDICT Jewish and non-Jewish readers will relate to Ruby's family outing to the apple orchard. However, with no real conflict or suspense, there's not much of a story here. An optional purchase.--Rachel Kamin

Buoyed by gentle humor, this first slice-of-life installment of the Ruby Celebrates! series opens with the eponymous protagonist and her cousins picking far too many apples to solely dip in honey or to bake a single apple cake. In the Ivanovs' straightforward, animation-style art, the kids, portrayed with varied skin tones, present a solution: they enlist two adults as sous chefs, create their own recipes, present themselves as "Chef Appleman," "Chef Applestein," and "Chef Appleberg"--hosts of "Cooking with the Cousins"--and whip up apple pancakes, pizza, and lasagna. After Rosh Hashanah services ("They pray, sing, and listen to the shofar," Gehl writes) and a festive meal, the prospect of more apple-eating is too much: they gift a pretty basketful to a grateful neighbor and let family dog Boaz finish off the rest. Recipes and a holiday overview conclude. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)