Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 03/01/2014 Veteran writer about all things Jewish (among many other subjects), Adler tells a simplified version of the Exodus story. He begins with Jacob and the children of Israel, who began to overpopulate Egypt, leading the pharaoh to enslave them and eventually to kill newborn Hebrew boys. Baby Moses is saved and raised by the pharaoh’s daughter, but when he kills an Egyptian for beating a slave, he is forced to flee. The rest of the story covers how Moses, directed by God, frees the Hebrews. There’s no getting around the fact that the well-known story, with its plagues and deaths, is quite gruesome in places. The text recounts details rather than dwells on them, but this might upset younger members of the intended audience who are not already familiar with the Bible story. Weber’s acrylic paintings, which recall hieroglyphic images, have a young feel, but they don’t shy away from the drama. A good choice for children who are attending Passover seders and want to know more. An author’s note explains what happens at a seder. - Copyright 2014 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 04/01/2014 Gr 1–3—Similar in format and scope to Adler and Weber's The Story of Hanukkah (Holiday House, 2011), this simple yet dramatic story retells the Children of Israel's exodus from slavery in Egypt. Nothing is whitewashed in the text or the illustrations; slaves are beaten and killed, babies are drowned in the river, Moses attacks and kills a slave master, the Angel of Death visits the Egyptians, and Pharaoh's army is swallowed by the sea. However, readers already familiar with this narrative will appreciate the straightforward honesty and will relish the detailed, expressive, acrylic illustrations. An author's note, providing more information about the traditions and customs of the holiday, is appended. A great read-aloud for the Passover seder, this is a welcome addition to holiday book shelves.—Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.