The Passover Lamb

K-Gr 3—Doing farm chores on the morning of Passover, Miriam discovers that one of the sheep has had three babies. Snowball rejects the runt, and the child takes responsibility for bottle-feeding it every few hours. How can she take care of a lamb, though, and still attend the Seder at Grandma's? By putting him in a basket, naming him Moses, and taking him along, of course. This unusual Passover story is based on Marshall's own family history, as explained in an author's note. Basic information about Passover is included within the story and in the note. The emphasis is on the lamb's plight rather than on the holiday, and readers will be charmed by the gentle depiction of farm life, the baby animal, and the child's resourcefulness. Those who bring Passover knowledge to their reading will be amused that the siblings' names are Miriam and Aaron (the names of Moses's siblings in the Bible). Cheerful watercolors add to the story's sweetness.—Heidi Estrin, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL