I'm 30 years old and I still remember reading this book as a child. Not only can I recite parts of it to this day, but so can my mother.
It is a fun way to learn to count. The illustrations are enchanting, as well as the entire story involving all sorts of animals preparing for The Butterfly Ball.

I am a 21 year old college student. My mom read this book to me when I was little. The illustrations were always my favorite part of the book. The mouse finds her way to the ball in a very magical way. I read that book so many times that I can still recite nearly half of it. In my opinion this book was more a visual experience than about counting. Any child should be lucky to own this wonderful piece of work.

I'm 27 and have a very worn copy of the 1976 publication of this book. As a child, I read it so often that I have pieces memorized to this day. It's still my favorite book, and I was afraid I'd never be able to replace it. How wonderful to see such an enchanting and educational book is still in print!

I love the way these stories are gentle, but not so conflict-free as to be boring. They manage to convey a lot of information about the holidays, too, in a fun, low-key way. The illustrations couldn't be more charming. Best of all, children actually like them! I read "Beni's New Year" to a group of 5-7-year-olds this weekend, and they all SAT STILL and LISTENED, believe it or not, asking me to stop only so they could see the pictures.

Beautiful illustrations enhance the quality of these charming stories surrounding the jewish holidays. Great for toddlers through elementary age children. Our Pre-school Rabbi read exerpts of Goldie's Purim during a recent tot shabbat. It was a big hit!! Highly recommend this book.

This book is a wonderful way to share the meaning of these holidays in a fun (but not sappy) way. I, um, work in a bookstore (no names here, please!) and picked this book out for her Grandmother to give to her (hence me being at the Amazon.com website! Um, our website didn't have this book!). There are a lot of books to help introduce a young child to the customs and celebrations of the holidays, but in my opinoin, this is the best of them all. And I should know!

"Don't Go!", written and illustrated by Jane Breskin Zalben, is a charming picture book for younger readers. It tells the story of Daniel, a little boy who is experiencing his first day at preschool. Daniel and his family are all elephant-headed humanoids; the other kids in his class include a hippo, a pig, a cat, etc. This device is nicely used and gives the largely realistic book an appealing touch of fantasy.

The friendly illustrations have bright colors. The book ends with a note from book editor Michele Coppola; she offers parents some tips for their child's first day at preschool.

In this darling 21-page book, Rosie and her brother Max spent the night before Passover hunting for stray breadcrumbs with a feather and wooden spoons. Grandma dusted the shelves with the feather and Grandpa held a glowing candle and a small box for the crumbs. (They did this of course, to ensure that their house was clean of chametz, or leavened bread, before sundown opened the eight-day festival of Pessach.)

The next morning, Rosie and Max helped their Grandpa burn the box of chametz while Grandma made soup and matzoh balls for their Seder meal. This year, the matzoh balls were fluffy and light, floating in the soup.

Before sundown the family started to arrive, bringing with them wet kisses and huge hugs.

At the Seder, Rosie sat with her cousin Beni, and watched as Grandpa broke the middle matzoh, the Afikoman, in half and hid the matzoh when no one was looking. The children would have to find it for the family to have their desert after the meal.

Since Rosie was the youngest, she had to ask the Four Questions, beginning with "Why is this night different from all other nights? On all other nights we eat bread or matzoh. Why tonight, only matzoh?" Rosie needed a little help from Max, and Sara whispered a hint when Rosie forgot a word. But Rosie did such a good job singing the questions that Mama and Papa were very proud.

Everyone poured a bit of wine from their cups to mourn for the Egyptians' suffering during the Ten Plagues.

Rosie hid under the table for much of the Seder, but came out in time to eat the bitter herbs and haroset to symbolize the bricks that the Jewish people were forced to make when they were slaves. Finally, it was time for the meal.

Elijah's arrival frightened Rosie, but I won't spoil the last several pages by telling you why.

The book includes a page explaining the seven foods on the Seder plate, and the Four Questions, in large easy-to-read Hebrew (with vowels) and English.

This story, a favorite during the children's little years, was so well used the pages are taped. Alyssa A. Lappen

This powerful and emotional book was greatly enjoyed by me, but I have one warning. Don't read this book in classroom under your desk, or in another public place. My eyes kept filling up with tears, and I had to pretend I had allergies. Even thinking about certain parts now makes me cry. The story was powerful and well-written, and touched a chord quite a few times with me. It's definatly not a wasted read, even though you will shed quite a few tears.

This Book, Unfinished Dreams tells the story of a boy named Jason in sixth grade. Mr. Carr, his principal has the AIDS virus. Other people in the school turn against Mr. Carr, while Jason sticks by his side. Mr. Carr was the greatest principal. He had pajama days and let Jason keep his expensive violin under his desk. Mr.Carr was the one who inspired Jason to follow his dream to play the violin at Julliard. It makes you think about how other's can treat someone in that way. It helps you think about reality, and how you treat others. The book is in a way, a sad story because Jason's life is turned upside down with taunts and torments from his peers. The way that the author tells the story, it makes you wonder about your own life, and how you treat others. Unfinished Dreams is a life lesson in kindness and understanding. I would rate this book a nine because it was very informative and had a really great story line.

This 26-page story helps prepare very young children to celebrate Rosh Hashonah, the Jewish New Year. As the story opens, Beni and Sara came home from school to find a letter from their grandparents announcing that they look forward to seeing the children for the holidays, when their cousins Max, Rosie, Goldie Molly and Sam would also visit.

Later during the week, the children colored Rosh Hashonah cards for their cousins and their friends Leo and Blossom. The morning before Rosh Hashonah, their Papa packed the car while Mama wrapped special cakes and cookies that Beni and Sara had helped to prepare. They couldn't wait to eat all that Rugelach, Mandelbrot and Strudel.

They arrived at their grandparents with hugs and kisses, as always, but as Grandma lit the Holiday candles and said the blessings, Cousin Max tapped Sara on the shoulder and then shot a rubber band at her.

Grandpa said the blessings over the wine (Kiddush) and raisin challah (Motzie) and everyone said "L'Shanah Tovah!" (A good, sweet New Year)

The children fought with their cousins over this and that, including the wet plastic spiders that Max put on everyone's pillows. But the next morning after services, when the children beamed as their Papa blew the Shofar announcing the New Year, they thought about the things they had done in the previous year. In the afternoon, they took a walk to say Tashlich. They threw bits of bread into the brook, to get rid of their mistakes and start fresh. "This is for teasing Sara, and Beni," Max said as he tossed his bread away. And he said sorry to his cousins.

In the next and last five pages, the children learned the true meaning of Rosh Hashonah.

The book includes a two-page recipe for raisin challah and a glossary of transliterated Jewish and High Holiday terms.

A very cute story, but you're better off with Beni's Family Treasury: Stories for the Jewish Holidays, which includes stories for Sukkot, Chanukah, Purim and Passover as well. Alyssa A. Lappen

This is collection of poems written about the nature of poetry by various authors (some of them award-winning). Some of the poems are insightful and others are trite, but the illustrations are beautiful. Overall, the book has merit as a springboard the imaginations of budding young poets, and a creative introduction to poetical analysis.