The Mouse in the Matzah Factory
PreSchool-This story describes the preparation of shmurah matzah, eaten by observant Jews during Passover. A cheerful mouse in denim overalls has his curiosity whetted when some men build a fence around a field of wheat and carefully watch over it. The little creature follows along as the wheat is taken to a mill, trucked to a city, and taken to a room to be mixed, rolled, and baked. After he sees families lined up to buy the boxes of "baked circles," he reads a box label that describes how the matzah "has been watched from the time of harvest through the time of baking." The mouse, too, has viewed the entire process and feels "very important." The writing is pedestrian and the full-page watercolor illustrations are uninspired. This title, with its mix of fact and fiction, will not be useful in Jewish schools and does not contain enough information for others who might want to read about the holiday.Susan Pine, New York Public LibraryCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.