More Than Enough: A Passover Story

by April Halprin Wayland, Katie Kath (Illustrator)

Overview

A family's Passover celebration is equal parts warmth and charm in this cozy picture book, with the traditional seder song “Dayenu” as the grateful refrain.
 
In this story told in spare, lyrical prose, a Jewish family prepares for their Passover seder, visiting the farmer's market for walnuts, lilacs, and honey (and adopting a kitten along the way!), then chopping apples for the charoset, and getting dressed up before walking to Nana's house. The refrain throughout is “Dayenu”—a mind-set of thankfulness, a reminder to be aware of the blessings in each moment. At Nana's, there's matzo ball soup, chicken, coconut macaroons, and of course, the hidden afikomen. After opening the door for Elijah and singing the verses of “Chad Gadya,”Nana tucks the children in for a special Passover sleepover.
 
This warm, affectionate story embraces Passover in the spirit of dayenu, and offers a comprehensive glossary—it’s a perfect read for the entire family in anticipation and celebration of the holiday.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593462546
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	02/22/2022
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	481,896
Product dimensions:	8.31(w) x 10.56(h) x 0.16(d)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

April Halprin Wayland is the author of several picture books, including New Year at the Pier and the young adult novel-in-verse Girl Coming in for a Landing, which won both the Lee Bennett Hopkins Honor Award for Children’s Poetry and the Myra Cohn Livingston Award. She lives in Los Angeles.
 
Katie Kath holds an MFA from Savannah College of Art and Design and lives in the rolling hills of North Carolina with her husband and their cat. This is her first picture book.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for More Than Enough
“Works equally well as a primer on Passover and a reminder for any child, Jewish or not, that any day can be filled with things that feel like blessings . . . Hum[s] with personality and lively details.”—The New York Times
 
“'Dayenu' is a joyful, upbeat, and energetic song, as is this book! Readers of all ages will enjoy following the adventures of the children in this story as they shop with their mother, adopt a kitten, taste the rain, help cook the Seder meal, and celebrate the Passover holiday with their extended family.”—The Jewish Eye
 
“Scenes of Jewish home life exude an easygoing buoyancy and warmth, with just enough humor and detail to make readers eager to find their own ‘Dayenu’ moments.”—Publishers Weekly

"The infectious, child-appealing watercolor artwork—with that adorable kitten!—will make readers smile. And once they understand the meaning of dayenu, they’ll get into the spirit of gratitude as well."—Booklist

“Kath's fresh, perky watercolors perfectly match the joyous tone of the text. A delightful, modern take on an ancient tradition.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
“Upbeat declarations are concise and rhythmic. . . . Cheerful scenes are full of gentle color and movement. . . . Extremely satisfying.”—School Library Journal
 
“Winning . . . Readers follow a young Jewish family as they prepare for and celebrate Passover. With its straightforward narrative and glossary of terms, More Than Enough can also serve as an introduction to holiday customs for a non-Jewish audience.”—The Salt Lake Tribune

“Wayland’s descriptions of Dayenu and the symbolic traditions of Passover will touch the hearts of readers. She carries the readers through various aspects and experiences of the Passover celebration and its importance as a touchstone to the past. Katie Kath uses watercolor to . . . depict wonderful visual representations of the preparation and celebration of Passover.”—WCMU Public Radio

Praise for New Year at the Pier:
* "[T]he empathetic, low-key prose makes important points about personal responsibility without pummeling readers."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"The universality of emotion and the quality presentation make this book a good choice for multicultural New Year celebrations."—School Library Journal

"A well-crafted introduction to an alternative aspect of the holiday with room for discussion."—Kirkus Reviews

"Believable family interaction, a good sense of community, and some lovely language permeate this very now, very real story."—JT News

"[O]ffers an excellent, thorough look at forgiveness during one of the most important holidays of the years."—Jewish Book World Magazine

From the Publisher

…this sweet picture book…works equally well as a primer on Passover and a reminder for any child, Jewish or not, that any day can be filled with things that feel like blessings…In soft tones of gold, blue and rose, Kath's friendly watercolor illustrations seem to hum with personality and lively details…

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

12/07/2015
No Passover seder is complete without a rousing rendition of “Dayenu” (“It would have been enough”), a song of gratitude for everything God did in redeeming the Israelites from slavery. Wayland (New Year at the Pier) and Kath (Penelope Perfect) give “Dayenu” an even broader meaning, explaining the song as “a reminder to be aware of and grateful for the blessings in each moment.” Accordingly, as one family prepares for and celebrates Passover, “Dayenu” becomes a way of marking each step and giving it a heightened significance. There’s shopping in a bountiful farmers’ market (“We wander the market surrounded by colors—dayenu”); making charoset together (“We chop apples and walnuts and mix in the grape juice—dayenu”); and the seder itself, with all its rituals and delicious food (“There are matzoh balls, chicken, and jellied fruit slices—dayenu”). Kath’s scenes of Jewish home life exude an easygoing buoyancy and warmth, with just enough humor and detail to make readers eager to find their own “Dayenu” moments. Ages 3–5. Author’s agent: Marietta Zacker, Nancy Gallt Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Justin Rucker, Shannon Associates. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

04/01/2016
PreS-Gr 2—There is a beloved Passover song with a chorus that repeats the Hebrew word dayenu, meaning "it would have been enough," in gratitude for the biblical Exodus. This picture book shines a spotlight on that attitude of gratitude, reminding us, as the author's note says, to be "aware of and grateful for the blessings in each moment." Readers follow a family getting ready for Passover and observe their thankfulness for the simple joys of visiting the market and experiencing the rain and the more unique blessings of adopting a kitten and joining Nana for the seder. Upbeat declarations are concise and rhythmic. Every page is capped by the word dayenu, which is set apart in a large red hand-written font for emphasis. The family's healthy awareness extends well before and after the holiday, and the story concludes with a cozy, postseder evening at Nana's. Like the text, the artwork is sweet, with a light touch. Cheerful scenes are full of gentle color and movement. The neighborhood market is hip and diverse, although the featured family is "traditional" (mom, dad, son, daughter) and white. Their dress style shows that the Jewish family is not Orthodox. While a glossary is included at the end and a small note defines dayenu on the dedication page, the seder plate, the afikomen hunt, the prophet Elijah, and other elements of the holiday are mentioned casually and without explanation. VERDICT A pleasant and extremely satisfying story for readers already familiar with Passover.—Heidi Estrin, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL

School Library Journal

2015-12-22
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. (glossary, author's note) (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews