'You showed us all what a fantastic big brother you are!' As Passover draws near, Eitan is excited about singing the Ma Nishtana - the Four Questions - as he does every year on Seder night. But the Ma Nishtana is supposed to be sung by the youngest at the Seder table and this year, to Eitan's consternation, his little sister Libby finally thinks she is ready for the job. Grandma tries to keep the peace: 'Maybe you could teach your sister to sing the Four Questions?' she suggests to Eitan. 'She can sing next year,' he shrugs.'Why don't you sing it together?' Grandma tries. But Libby will not hear of it. Despite Eitan's best efforts, Libby stands firm: she is the littlest and she will sing the Mah Nishtana. When Seder night finally arrives, the whole family gather together. They all take turns to read from the Haggadah and, when it is time for the Mah Nishtana, they turn to Libby. She looks nervous: the words don't come out, until Eitan finds himself helping her and she sings her first Mah Nishtana perfectly. Beautifully illustrated and charmingly told, this story celebrates the challenges and joys of family, festivities and the all-important, Four Questions.

About the Author
Born in 1948 in Tel Aviv, Naomi Ben-Gur has written more than 40 books for children and works as a children's book editor at an Israeli publisher. She studied literature at Tel Aviv University, film at New York University and began writing whilst serving as a military correspondent in the Israel Defence Force. Ben Gur lives with her husband in Ramat Aviv, Israel. Carmel Ben-Ami was born in the Netherlands and raised in Israel, where she studied at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. She illustrates children's books and poetry collections and worked in the Animation Department of the 2017 film, The Legend of King Solomon. She lives in Amsterdam, where she works as a freelance illustrator and animator.

Reviews
Sibling rivalry certainly predates the holiday of Passover but in this short, highly recommended story, one of the central parts of the Passover seder becomes a tense example of this age-old problem. Older brother Eitan feels unprepared to yield the spotlight to his sister, Evie, who is eager to assume the responsibility of the youngest child to recite the questions, which elicit an adult's explanation of the holiday's meaning. Many readers of the book will have experienced this difficult transition themselves or will, at least, understand the dilemma it poses for celebrations where more than one child may consider themselves the best actor for this role... Young readers will feel validated in their struggle and adults will appreciate the multigenerational approach to an issue. This is a good book to keep on hand along with the Haggadah. - Emily Schneider, Jewish Book Council



Book Information
ISBN 9781784384630
Author Naomi Ben-Gur
Format Paperback
Page Count 32
Imprint Green Bean Books
Publisher Greenhill Books