To a child, Passover can be a bit of an incoherent experience, and rightfully so. Who puts an egg, matzah, fruits and nuts, parsley, horseradish and a lamb bone on a plate and calls that a meal?
In “Wonders and Miracles: A Passover Companion,” Eric A. Kimmel gives children some meaning to the rituals and traditions of the holiday of liberation.
An award-winning children’s author, Kimmel has pulled together disparate texts (biblical stories, poems, essays, songs) to tell the story of Passover to children.
Kimmel’s book is meant to provide educational support for haggadot — to fill in the historical and religious background. Why do we eat matzah? Why do we ask four questions? Who is this Elijah character?
Many haggadot answer these questions just fine, but “Wonders and Miracles” goes further. There’s Abraham’s family tree. A two-page “Plagues Play.” Even some Debbie Friedman lyrics.
Kimmel uses a dazzling array of illustrations spanning about 600 years, including several from the Spanish “Golden Haggadah,” one of the oldest and more sumptuous seder books to survive from the 14th century.
Ashkenazic Charoset
3 large apples (about 1 lb.)
1 cup chopped almonds or walnuts
2 Tbs. honey
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup sweet red wine or grape juice
Peel, core and cut apples into large pieces. Combine the apples, nuts, honey and cinnamon in a food processor. Stir in enough wine or grape juice to make a paste that holds together. Store in refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.
Another variation is to coarsely grate the apples and mix the other ingredients by hand, for a chunkier charoset.
Sephardic Charoset
1 1/3 cups chopped, pitted dates
3/4 to 1 cup chopped walnuts or almonds
About 1/4 cup sweet red wine or grape juice
Combine the dates and nuts in a food processor, adding enough wine or grape juice to make a thick paste. The mixture will be sweet, but honey can be added to make it sweeter. Store in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.
“Wonders and Miracles: A Passover Companion” by Eric A. Kimmel (136 pages, Scholastic Press, $18.95).