'Meet the Matzah: A Passover Story' Book Review

We met Alan Silberberg and his family of latkes back in December and he's back again with a brand new story for Passover. This story is about Alfie Koman, a Matzah who likes to hide. When it's Alfie's turn to tell his class about his holiday, Loaf takes over the story! You'll have to read the book for yourself to find out if Alfie's story gets ruined or if he stands up to Loaf like Moses did to the pharaoh so long ago!

"Meet the Matzah" is a great introduction to Passover for kids who are unfamiliar with the holiday just like mine! The story is told in such a captivating way that they want to listen and find out what happens next! My kids were glued and super focused with their faces really close to the pictures the entire time I was reading. It provided them the history of the holiday without overwhelming them with every detail.

The story was so funny! Loaf was being a bully and Alfie did the right thing! I learned you should never interrupt someone. - Lil C, 9

You should never mess with someone's story! - Squidgy, 5 

I personally really enjoyed the "bread" names of Alfie's classmates, but then I'm a sucker for a good pun!

I like that all the breads told about their holidays! - Ani, 3

In the story, Loaf takes over telling Alfie's story because he thinks Alfie's stories are always boring. However, I think the lesson can extend to simply be, "don't interrupt when someone is talking." Kids (and let's be honest, adults too - myself included) can get really excited about something and want to add their two cents to someone else's story. But it's very easy to just start talking over someone else and taking over their story. This story is a good reminder that even if you really want to say something, or you think what you have to say is more interesting, the respectful thing is to wait until the other person is done. Because that's what you would like other people to do when you're telling a story. 

I got annoyed at Loaf when he kept interrupting the story - I just wanted to hear Alfie's story! - Emma, 6

I wanted to see what someone who celebrates Passover thought of the story so I asked one of my Cardboard Kids who is Jewish for her response to "Meet the Matzah."

I liked that the characters were all different types of bread with funny names. I liked that Alfie Koman kept hiding because it reminded me of my favorite part of Passover which is finding the Afikoman! I thought it was funny that they kept calling the Pharoah, Pha-Roach. I learned not to interrupt when someone is telling a story, like Loaf did! - Shoshana, 6

The kids and I highly recommend "Meet the Matzah" as a yearly Passover read, and anytime you need a good laugh!

Click here if you'd like your own copy of "Meet the Matzah"

If you want to find out more about Alan Silberberg, head on over to his website: https://www.silberbooks.com/

And for more Passover fun, check out my Passover Interview with Alva Sachs (with bonus recipe!)