Bar and Bat Mitzvahs

Gr 1-3–It seems that little care has been given to the research, editing, or design of this book. The information is so basic as to be more confusing than informative, and very little of it is focused on the actual practice of bar or bat mitzvah. The awkward writing and errors in grammar and punctuation are reminiscent of a child’s school report. The text is printed in an oversize font that implies an audience of beginning readers, but the subject matter is of more interest to preteens. The “Did you know?” pullouts include strangely random statements such as “Coming-of-age ceremonies have been practiced for thousands of years in many cultures. Some ancient traditions involved surviving in the wild.” The stock photography is bland, often unattractive, and, in at least one instance, incorrectly captioned. Skip this offering and go with Bert Metter’s longer but much more satisfactory Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah: The Ceremony, the Party, and How the Day Came to Be (Clarion, 2007).–Heidi Estrin, Congregation B’nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL