A MEZUZAH ON THE DOOR

Meltzer and Fried demonstrate the practice of dedicating a new Jewish home in this sweet and gentle story of a boy and his family leaving a city apartment for a house in the suburbs. Like most children in a move situation, Noah is anxious and worries about missing all the familiar sounds of his building: Mr. Gollis’s allergic sneezes, Maya’s violin practice, the clanking of Mrs. Feldman’s dishwashing. It’s very quiet in the new house, but Noah and his parents get busy shopping for a mezuzah (the traditional doorpost case holding a small parchment prayer scroll) for Noah’s bedroom and invite all their old neighbors to a “Hanukkat Habayit,” the dedication open house. After mezuzahs are hung for each room, the noise of guests mingling, eating and listening to Maya’s violin helps Noah appreciate the quiet when all the guests leave. Yet he is grateful for their presence on this special day, because it solved his loneliness. Simply drawn and intricately designed illustrations in soft colors done in a multimedia style with watercolors, pencils, collage, pen/ink and a scratching technique round out this informative story that effectively brings closure to one little boy’s concerns. Concise explanation of the custom and prayer appended. (Picture book. 5-8)