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More Than Enough by April Halprin Wayland
A family's Passover celebration is equal parts warmth and charm in this cozy picture book, with the traditional seder song “Dayenu” as the grateful refrain.
In this story told in spare, lyrical prose, a Jewish family prepares for their Passover seder, visiting the farmer's market for walnuts, lilacs, and honey (and adopting a kitten along the way!), then chopping apples for the charoset, and getting dressed up before walking to Nana's house. The refrain throughout is “Dayenu”—a mind-set of thankfulness, a reminder to be aware of the blessings in each moment. At Nana's, there's matzo ball soup, chicken, coconut macaroons, and of course, the hidden afikomen. After opening the door for Elijah and singing the verses of “Chad Gadya,”Nana tucks the children in for a special Passover sleepover.
This warm, affectionate story embraces Passover in the spirit of dayenu, and offers a comprehensive glossary—it’s a perfect read for the entire family in anticipation and celebration of the holiday.
In this story told in spare, lyrical prose, a Jewish family prepares for their Passover seder, visiting the farmer's market for walnuts, lilacs, and honey (and adopting a kitten along the way!), then chopping apples for the charoset, and getting dressed up before walking to Nana's house. The refrain throughout is “Dayenu”—a mind-set of thankfulness, a reminder to be aware of the blessings in each moment. At Nana's, there's matzo ball soup, chicken, coconut macaroons, and of course, the hidden afikomen. After opening the door for Elijah and singing the verses of “Chad Gadya,”Nana tucks the children in for a special Passover sleepover.
This warm, affectionate story embraces Passover in the spirit of dayenu, and offers a comprehensive glossary—it’s a perfect read for the entire family in anticipation and celebration of the holiday.
Hardcover
First published March 15, 2016
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52 people want to read
About the author
April Halprin Wayland
14 books10 followersApril Halprin Wayland's newest picture book, MORE THAN ENOUGH--A Passover Story, illustrated by Katie Kath, is about being grateful for each moment. Each moment is more than enough.
Her picture book, NEW YEAR AT THE PIER--A Rosh Hashanah Story, won the Sydney Taylor Gold Award for Younger Readers and received a starred review in Publishers Weekly. It is an affectionate, celebratory story of forgiveness and what a boy learns at the pier on the Jewish New Year.
Her novel in poems, GIRL COMING IN FOR A LANDING, won the Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Poetry, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Honor Award for Childrens Poetry, was a Junior Library Guild selection, was nominated as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and was nominated for ALAs Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers.
The operative word of her website is whimsy--it's full of writing exercises and resources, as well as information on Tashlich and on forgiveness
http://www.aprilwayland.com
April also posts about poetry on the blog TeachingAuthors with five other children's authors who teach
http://www.teachingauthors.com
Her poems are widely published in CRICKET Magazine and anthologies and have won the SCBWI Magazine Merit Award for Poetry multiple times (garnering honors four times and winning it twice).
Other works include her NAPPA gold award-winning CD of stories, and numerous picture books (Scholastic and Knopf).
She gives workshops across the US and throughout Europe, and has been on the faculty of the UCLA Extension Writer's Program teaching Writing the Picture Book for Children since 1999.
Her picture book, NEW YEAR AT THE PIER--A Rosh Hashanah Story, won the Sydney Taylor Gold Award for Younger Readers and received a starred review in Publishers Weekly. It is an affectionate, celebratory story of forgiveness and what a boy learns at the pier on the Jewish New Year.
Her novel in poems, GIRL COMING IN FOR A LANDING, won the Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Poetry, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Honor Award for Childrens Poetry, was a Junior Library Guild selection, was nominated as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and was nominated for ALAs Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers.
The operative word of her website is whimsy--it's full of writing exercises and resources, as well as information on Tashlich and on forgiveness
http://www.aprilwayland.com
April also posts about poetry on the blog TeachingAuthors with five other children's authors who teach
http://www.teachingauthors.com
Her poems are widely published in CRICKET Magazine and anthologies and have won the SCBWI Magazine Merit Award for Poetry multiple times (garnering honors four times and winning it twice).
Other works include her NAPPA gold award-winning CD of stories, and numerous picture books (Scholastic and Knopf).
She gives workshops across the US and throughout Europe, and has been on the faculty of the UCLA Extension Writer's Program teaching Writing the Picture Book for Children since 1999.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 16, 2019
April Halprin Wayland, whose
New Year at the Pier
offered a delightful look at the Rosh Hashanah tradition of Tashlich, returns to the Jewish holidays in this newest picture-book offering, following a family of four as they prepare for and celebrate Passover. Shopping in the market, taking home a kitten in need of a home, making charoset as a family - every activity they engage in is followed by the refrain "Dayenu" ("it would have been enough"), referring to the Passover song which celebrates all the blessings of this important time of the Jewish year, and emphasizes the importance of gratitude for those blessings.
Like her earlier title, I enjoyed More Than Enough quite a bit, finding in it a lovely celebration of Jewish traditions at Passover, as they are enacted by one modern city family. There is less of a story here than in New Year at the Pier - the text is shorter, with one sentence per page, followed by the refrain - but there is also more of a feeling of this being a song - a song of joy. The watercolor illustrations by Katie Kath are appealing - naturally, I found the kitten adorable! - and perfectly depict the sense of family fun and togetherness found in the text. All in all, a sweet little book, one I would recommend to anyone looking for Passover picture-books for younger children.
Like her earlier title, I enjoyed More Than Enough quite a bit, finding in it a lovely celebration of Jewish traditions at Passover, as they are enacted by one modern city family. There is less of a story here than in New Year at the Pier - the text is shorter, with one sentence per page, followed by the refrain - but there is also more of a feeling of this being a song - a song of joy. The watercolor illustrations by Katie Kath are appealing - naturally, I found the kitten adorable! - and perfectly depict the sense of family fun and togetherness found in the text. All in all, a sweet little book, one I would recommend to anyone looking for Passover picture-books for younger children.
July 21, 2018
A sweet reminder to be grateful every day. Great message ~
April 17, 2016
This is a beautiful picture book about tradition and celebration. A young family shops and prepares for their Passover meal, then join with other family and friends to celebrate.
I read this book to my kids, who naturally had a lot of questions. Thankfully, the author included a glossary, notes, and the Dayenu song in the back, so I was able to answer most of their questions. It gave us a good chance to talk about other cultures, holidays, and shared beliefs.
More Than Enough is a beautiful book of thanksgiving, tradition, and family. I love the warm and inviting feeling that persists throughout the story. The illustrations are gorgeous, too.
If you’re looking for a good children’s book about Passover, or if you’re kids want to learn about this tradition, this is a great book to start with. It’s simple text and reassuring artwork are perfect for youngsters.
My blog: Batch of Books
April 6, 2024
Had April Halprin Wayland simply written a picture book for passover, "it would have been enough." DAYENU!
Had Katie Kath added adorable watercolor illustrations, "it would have been enough." DAYENU!
This duo have created a sweet preschool story that follows two youngsters as they prepare for Passover Seder. On Passover, Jews sing the song that lists all the things God did for us when he brought our people out of Egypt. And for each item we say, if he had done just this and not that, Dayenu, which means it would have been enough. On each page of this book, we see the children take joy in spending the day with family and celebrating the occasion. And with each step they are thankful for that particular event. Halprin provides a sweet Passover story and reminds us to be thankful for all the little moments in life.
Had Katie Kath added adorable watercolor illustrations, "it would have been enough." DAYENU!
This duo have created a sweet preschool story that follows two youngsters as they prepare for Passover Seder. On Passover, Jews sing the song that lists all the things God did for us when he brought our people out of Egypt. And for each item we say, if he had done just this and not that, Dayenu, which means it would have been enough. On each page of this book, we see the children take joy in spending the day with family and celebrating the occasion. And with each step they are thankful for that particular event. Halprin provides a sweet Passover story and reminds us to be thankful for all the little moments in life.
April 7, 2020
This is an older book by a friend of mine. I didn't know very much about Passover until I read this wonderful one about celebrating. It includes the special traditions for this holiday showing a family of four preparing all of them. They shop for needed things in the grocery, lovingly take home a kitten in need of a home, make charoset as a family. After every activity they follow with the refrain "Dayenu" ("it would have been enough"), referring to the Passover song which celebrates all the blessings of this important time of the Jewish year. For younger readers, the bright and happy story and watercolor illustrations by Katie Kath make it a joy to read.
May 19, 2019
Lovely illustrations. Not very much text, but it describes a family getting ready for Passover. They first rescue a cat from the shelter and then prepare food to bring to Nana’s. Very sweet, with gentle message of being grateful for the blessings in each moment.
April 12, 2025
I love having kids books about Jewish holidays having been raised in a non-orthodox house. we didn't go to the Jewish community center.
I am not giving 5 stars because it doesn't give the definition of afikomen even though adults can tell of the lost matsoh.
I am not giving 5 stars because it doesn't give the definition of afikomen even though adults can tell of the lost matsoh.
April 1, 2021
I love the notion of dayenu in the story and I love the illustrations.
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July 28, 2021Nice illustrations. If you ignore the violation of Halacha (Jewish law) (e.g. the family holding umbrellas during Passover), it's very sweet.
March 1, 2016
Using the Passover theme of Dayanu (enough), this sweet story follows two young siblings as they watch the family preparations leading up to and through the Passover Seder. Jewish children will be thrilled to see their celebration shown so joyfully through the lively illustrations. I was excited to see Had Gadya mentioned by name, since that holds special meaning in my family. Includes a glossary and explanation at the back. Highly recommended for ages 2-5.
Book provided by publisher
Book provided by publisher
March 19, 2016
Lovely, sweet celebration of a family's Passover traditions and values, focusing on the joyous song Dayenu. Final note explains "it is a thanksgiving song for all that was given to the Jewish people, proclaiming that any one of the gifts (such as leading them out of slavery, parting the Red Sea, and the giving of the Torah) would have been enough."
July 27, 2016
This would be great to use at Thanksgiving to introduce another way to give thanks. Each page describes one part of a modern family preparing for the Passover feast. The simple text is followed by "Dayenu" which we are told "is a reminder to be aware of and grateful for the blessings in each moment." What a lesson we could all remember!
October 22, 2016
Simple text about a family preparing for Passover and about gratitude. Perfect for preschoolers. The illustrations are delightful. Back matter explains terms like Dayena, a Passover song & includes the music and lyrics; as well as other terms, plus personal note from the author which explains the message of Dayenu - being grateful for blessings in every moment.
May 23, 2016
This is a fun little book to introduce small children to the passover seder. It is a story about a family preparing the "charoset" dish and then traveling to meet with a larger extended family group to enjoy their seder meal. The artwork is beautiful.
March 26, 2016
A family experiences the wonders of Passover in this beautiful children’s picture book, with the theme of Passover, “dayenu”, thankfulness, more than enough.
April 16, 2016
Simple remembering of blessings. The children rescue a kitten and prepare for Passover with their Nana. The back matter gives definitions for the vocabulary used throughout.
May 3, 2016
Simple, cute story of a family's celebration. Wish pronunciation of words was given.
January 23, 2018
This is a great way to introduce the holiday of Passover to non-Jewish children. It has the words and music to the song (which is refrained on each page) at the back of the book. Makes me think of my grandmother.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews