I loved this book not only because of its retelling of Jewish stories, but because it included crafts and recipes for food that go along with each of the holidays described. The first holiday described in the book is Shabbat and it instructions on how to make candle sticks, a spice box, and kugel. The main idea of this book is not only to provide an authentic and captivating retelling of Jewish holidays, but to also provide ways in which the reader can immerse themselves within the holiday. ( )

From Amazon
The Jewish holidays are called the "jewels in the crown" of the Jewish year. This jewel of a collection by respected author Gilda Berger is a celebration of Jewish traditions, including Bible stories, time lines, recipes, crafts, and commentaries on the holidays. Each chapter covers one Jewish holiday, with a retelling of a related story from the Bible, followed by sections called "What We Celebrate," "How We Celebrate," and "Crafts and Food." A time line in each chapter places the origins of that holiday in its historical context, and a map of the Middle East and a complete index are also included. Glowing paintings by Peter Catalanotto introduce and follow each Bible story. The crafts and recipes are written with careful, simple directions, illustrated with clear diagrams when appropriate. Children (with a little help from an adult) can make a homemade dreidel or menorah, stir up a batch of latkes or cheese blintzes, or create Purim puppets with the directions given here. The author's goal in writing this book was to create one source that could be used by families throughout the year at each Jewish holiday. A superb choice for Jewish families or anyone interested in learning more about these ancient traditions. (Age 4 to adult) --Marcie Bovetz --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.