Start the Day

Vicki Weber was in third grade when her first story was published and has been writing ever since. She has published numerous non-fiction works for both children and adults, including Tradition! Celebration and Ritual in Jewish Life (Hugh Lauder Levin), and is the author of the Jewish folktale collection, It's Too Crowded in Here! A graduate of Bryn Mawr College, she also earned a master's degree in religious education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She lives in New York City. Shirley Ng-Benitez is an award-winning author-illustrator who works in traditional media and has had thehonor of illustrating over 25 books for children. She lives in the Bay Area, California.

The very best time for kids to learn nearly anything is when they are young. This is especially true when it comes to learning a second language. Vicki L. Weber's START THE DAY, with inviting illustrations by Shirley Ng-Benitez, puts this principle to work with the Hebrew phrase for "Good morning," *boker tov.* Her board book for the youngest children is part of a series from Apples & Honey Press that includes the havdalah-centered A NEW WEEK, SHABBAT SHALOM, and more. Weber's rhyming text is simple enough for any toddler to grasp -- "good morning all, it's time to rise / and rub the sleep from rested eyes" -- and uncommonly active. Each page will give the young person being read to the opportunity to do something. They can touch their noses, or wiggle their toes. The words *boker tov* enter the text at the very end, when two children head out to start their day, trailed by an adorable dog, and under the gaze of a friendly bird. Ng-Benitez's art depicts happy children of many racial and ethnic backgrounds, and to her credit, not all of them are skinny. Both the text and the art are child-centered and child-affirming. We see just the arms and part of the body of the only grownup. There's even a child wearing a T-shirt that says Boker Tov on it in transliteration; it might have been helpful had there been another shirt with the same phrase in Hebrew. Still, it's hard not to imagine a parent or relative waking up their child with the words "Boker Tov!" after they read this book together. And that is a very good thing.I'm not enough of an historian to know whether a board book has ever garnered Sydney Taylor attention, but this series from Apples & Honey, and specifically START THE DAY, meet the criteria for notice. The Jewish content is presented inclusively and gently -- there's just so much that can be done for this age range, and with the brevity that a board book requires. I particularly like the broad range of children depicted here. Kids will easily find mirrors in the artwork, which should make the book attractive for children and parents alike.– Jeff Gottesfeld, Sydney Taylor Shmooze