Editorial Review

“Cheesecake for Shavuot is the fourth in Allison Ofanansky’s nature/holiday series that includes Harvest of Light, What’s the Buzz, and Sukkot Treasure Hunt. The text is illustrated with beautiful color photographs. The class begins by planting wheat in the school garden. At Shavuot time, they harvest the wheat and learn about leaving the gleanings for the poor, as described in the book of Ruth. The class decides to give the gleanings to the goats at a petting zoo, where they get fresh goat cheese. The children then cut the wheat stalks, bundle them, thresh them, winnow and grind them into flour. Cheesecake for Shavuot is highly recommended for all libraries. It offers a unique slant on teaching about Shavuot. The reader learns not only about the holiday, but also how flour is made. The book also touches on the Jewish value of giving to the poor. Children and adults will enjoy learning about the process of how wheat becomes flour and enjoy the photos that demonstrate and greatly enhance the text.”—AJL Newsletter