MORE THAN ENOUGH

A modern family enjoys every part of the Passover festival.

Buying apples and walnuts and more at an outdoor farmers market is already sufficient to make the holiday a success. Adopting a kitten and running home in the gentle rain, making the charoset together, dressing up in special clothes, and going across the way to Nana’s house would also be enough. When they gather with family and friends, presenting the symbolic Seder plate, asking the four questions, eating delicious foods, searching for and finding the hidden matzo, singing and “baa”ing to “Chad Gadya,” and opening the door for Elijah, it is so much more than enough to make a special memory. Wayland employs flowing, descriptive language that sets each scene and captures the essence of the holiday. The text is set in the delightfully named Chaloops typeface, which nicely matches the exuberance of the tale. The expression “Dayenu,” meaning “enough” or “sufficient,” appears in large red letters at the end of each small episode and provides emphasis and continuity. (The cheerful, catchy song of the same name lists the horrific plagues visited on the Egyptians and indicates that the Jews would have been grateful for any one of them if it eased their way out of slavery.) Kath’s fresh, perky watercolors perfectly match the joyous tone of the text.

A delightful, modern take on an ancient tradition.