Interweaving history and adventure, Levine (Running on Eggs) takes young readers on a Passover trip worth pursuing. When Jodie’s cousin Zach visits for Passover, she and her siblings want to take him on a variety of trips to help him see all aspects of Israel. Jodie, in particular, is eager to lead him on an archeological dig through Hezekiah’s Tunnel. With her new flashlight, a Passover gift, and some Passover food prepared, the two of them venture out to the dark, wet, and narrow underground passageway. Intrigued by Jodie’s father’s brainteaser to find “the riddle in the middle,” the daring duo must confront their fears and the creepy tunnel to see their way to the end. Topaz’s illustrations nicely portray the diversity of populations in the Holy Land, and Levine’s plot takes kids to a place where the past and the present converge in exciting new ways. Ages 5–9. (Feb.)
"You’ve changed over your crockery, your food cupboards – what about your children’s bookshelves? And I am not talking about removing the remnants of squashed bagel, 'posted' between them several weeks ago in a moment of toddler experimentation. Well, yes – you need to do that too. But it is also time to add some seasonal reading material. Kar-Ben has two new picture books with a Passover theme. Jodie’s Passover Adventure , a picture book by Anna Levine (Kar-Ben, £5.99) sees the young would-be archaeologist, equipped with matzah picnic, exploring Hezekiah’s Tunnel, in Jerusalem. The underground passage, mentioned in the Bible, was hand-chiselled before 701 BCE by two teams of diggers, who began from different directions and managed to meet in the middle without the aid of modern instruments. Ksenia Topaz copes admirably with the challenge of illustrating a book in which half the scenes take place in semi-darkness. What might be lurking in the darkness? A dragon? A dinosaur? Gently scary, to suit ages five to seven. Izzy the Whiz is an inventor, but one of the most memorable inventions in Yael Memelstein’s Izzy the Whiz and Passover McClean (Kar-Ben, £5.99) is the word 'bread-ache' – why have we had to wait so long for a label that sums up the pain of chametz disposal? Passover McClean is a robot, which carries out the pre-Pesach tidy with such zeal that it consumes the contents of the living room, right to the last chair. In brisk rhyming couplets, the story proceeds, as the robot spits out the contents upside down – and the race is on to put everything right before Mum finishes her nap. Reminiscent of Dr. Seuss’s Cat in the Hat , the story will raise giggles in the undersevens – and perhaps even convince them that helping clear up can be fun." --The Jewish Chronicle
This is the second book about Jodie. Her father is an archaeologist working at a dig in Israel. Fascinated by his work, she has learned a good deal about it. Now, Cousin Zach has come to visit. Jodie and her brothers Shimi and Eli are very excited about the visit, but her brothers are older and after a few days they seem to monopolize Zach. They have taken him everywhere they can think of. Where should they go next? "He's my cousin, too," Jodie says. And she has an idea—he could go to their father's dig! But her brothers can think of nothing they would like less. It is messy. It is cold and wet. It is dark. "And there are mutant monsters" says Eli. But when Jodie explains that the dig is in the middle of Hezekiah's tunnel, and anyway "archaeologists don't believe in monsters, and I have my flashlight," she makes it sound more fun than creepy. "Hezekiah was king of Jerusalem a long time ago" she says, "and he invited all the rulers in Judea to celebrate a Seder in Jerusalem." The boys chime in and talk about the secret water tunnel that was designed to keep Jerusalem safe in case of an enemy attack. So the next day Jodie and Zach go into the tunnel. And, yes, it is smelly ("like dragon breath," says Zach) and there are shadows ("mutant monsters!" says Zach) but Jodie uses her flashlight to make the monsters disappear! When they see two glowing eyes, Jodie knows it is her dog, Digger, and he leads them out of the tunnel. It has been great fun, and we have all learned a bit about archaeology and about Jerusalem. Recommend. Reviewer: Judy Silverman
Children's Literature - Judy Silverman
K-Gr 4—An Israeli girl aspires to be an archaeologist like her dad. Wishing to share her passion with her cousin Zach during his Passover visit, she takes him through King Hezekiah's Tunnel, a buried water passage built in ancient times to keep Jerusalem safe in case of attack. Equipped with a flashlight and matzah sandwiches, Jodie and Zack set off and solve a riddle, find an ancient coin, and have a successful outing. Many picture books about Israel offer a whirlwind tour of famous places, so this more in-depth look at a single site is welcome. The story showcases the excitement of digging up the past and Jerusalem's fascinating history. As in Jodie's Hanukkah Dig (Lerner, 2008), the holiday tie-in is weak and serves as an unnecessary hook; both stories are relevant year-round. The watercolor illustrations are pleasant if a bit static, but do not always reflect the text. In particular, the story describes the children as splashing through a very wet tunnel while the illustrations show them walking on a dry, smooth floor. Nitpicks aside, this upbeat story will appeal to young adventurers, history buffs, and armchair travelers.—Heidi Estrin, Feldman Children's Library, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL
A Passover family picnic is preceded by a quick exploration of and discovery beneath the ground in the Old City of Jerusalem. During the week of Passover, archeology enthusiast Jodie is eager to escort her visiting cousin Zach on a tour of the ancient Hezekiah's Tunnel, which is famous for its strategic water passages. Zach is initially reluctant, and he imagines terrors as he enters the deep, dark and wet tunnel. "Evidence" of dragons, monsters and dinosaurs is logically explained away by Jodie as mold, shadows and chisel marks left on the walls by the tunnel creators. With the help of a flashlight, the cousins solve the "riddle of the middle" pointed out by Jodie's father at the beginning of their tour. Opaque double-page illustrations move the story from outside the tunnel, where no clear entrance is indicated, through to a wall of markings, supposedly drawn from opposite directions, that show the original tunnel workings dug from two different points and meeting in the middle. Unlike predecessor Jodie's Hanukkah Dig (2008), which wove together themes of bravery and resilience, this story has nothing at all to do with the titular holiday. Ultimately, this attempt to show how archeology can provide answers to ancient history's mysteries disappoints. (Picture book. 5-8)
