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Review of Janet’s Children’s Book The Passover Surprise by the Midwest Book Review in its October Issue

Dear Friends,

The Midwest Book Review just published a review of my chapter book for children, The Passover Surprise, illustrated by Ronald Kauffman (Fictive Press, 2015) in its online October 2015 issue. The article is in the section entitled “Children’s Bookwatch.” The review is below.

Best wishes!

Janet

Children’s Bookwatch: October 2015
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane Donovan, Editor
278 Orchard Drive, Oregon, WI 53575

The Judaic Shelf

The Passover Surprise
Janet Ruth Heller, author
Ronald Kauffman, illustrator
Fictive Press
http://www.fictivepress.com
9781927663172, $11.50, www.amazon.com

The Passover Surprise” is a middle grade chapter story that deals sensitively with complex issues like fairness, sexist thinking, working hard to sort out complex problems and issues within a family setting, relying on strong religious and cultural values within the framework of Judaism. Lisa is the heroine who is hurt by her father’s decision to award a coveted stamp book to her younger brother Jon, perhaps because he is the younger son while she is the older daughter. Some wonderful pages describe first how Lisa felt, and then how she evaluates her options and strategies to attempt to explain her reaction to her father, whom she loves. “The Passover Surprise” tackles many difficult issues of prejudice, racism, misogyny, and fairness, even including bullying. All development is influenced by the strong Jewish faith and values of Lisa and her family. The story takes place in the 60’s, and has a definite period flavor to it, which is underlined by the quietly charming black and white illustrations. “The Passover Surprise” is filled with wonder and hope, even in times of dreadful hardship and disappointment.

front cover for Passover Surprise

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Janet Ruth Heller

I am the past president of the Michigan College English Association. I have a Ph.D. in English Language and Literature from the University of Chicago. I have published four poetry books: Nature's Olympics (Wipf and Stock, 2021), Exodus (WordTech Communications, 2014), Folk Concert: Changing Times (Anaphora Literary Press, 2012) and Traffic Stop (Finishing Line Press, 2011). My scholarly book, Coleridge, Lamb, Hazlitt, and the Reader of Drama, was published in 1990 by the University of Missouri Press. My fiction picture book about bullying for children, How the Moon Regained Her Shape (Arbordale, 2006; 7th edn. 2022), has won four national awards. My play The Cell Phone won fourth place in a national contest and was performed twice at the Fenton Village Players One-Act Play Festival on June 24-25, 2011 in Fenton, Michigan. Triton College produced another play, Pledging, as part of its Tritonysia Play Festival in May 2017. Choeofpleirn Press published Pledging in Rushing Through the Dark (2022).