Curious Case of the Pot Roast

“Got a question?” asks Mom.Definitely! I thought. “Who invented spoons?” I ask. “What kind of meal is a matzoh meal? Can spicy stuff make you breathe fire?”In their apartment, the ever-inquisitive Sami is watching his mother prepare pot roast for the Passover seder. Noticing that both ends of the roast have been cut off, Sami wants to know why, but his mother can’t give him an answer – only that her mother always did it. Determined to get to the bottom of this, Sami runs upstairs to his Grandma Shirley’s apartment to ask her – amongst other things – the same question. But Grandma Shirley can only give him the same answer as his mother: “Because that’s how my mother always did it”. Not giving up, Sami runs up one more flight of stairs to ask Great-Grandma Lee, who finally gives him an answer and encourages him to keep asking questions, no matter what.This beautifully illustrated, light-hearted story has family and Jewish traditions – in particular Passover and the Four Questions – at its core. It teaches young readers about the importance of being curious, asking questions and not giving up until you find an answer.

Jamie KiffelJamie Kiffel-Alcheh is the author of multiple award-winning children’s books, a lyricist for ad campaigns and films, and a writer for National Geographic KIDS and National Geographic Family. Thanks to Nat Geo, Jamie is aware of tardigrades, and suspicious of their planetary origin. She is a member of SCBWI, a graduate of Wellesley College, and she is conversational in French, Hebrew, and Felis catus (meow). Her newest titles include Explorer Academy: Future Tech (National Geographic) and Nerdlet: Tech (National Geographic).-Alcheh is the author of multiple award-winning children’s books, a lyricist for ad campaigns and films, and a writer for National Geographic KIDS and National Geographic Family. Thanks to Nat Geo, Jamie is aware of tardigrades, and suspicious of their planetary origin. She is a member of SCBWI, a graduate of Wellesley College, and she is conversational in French, Hebrew, and Felis catus (meow). Her newest titles include Explorer Academy: Future Tech (National Geographic) and Nerdlet: Tech (National Geographic). Menahem Halberstadt studied painting and drawing under the instruction of the famous Israeli artists Leonid Balaklav and Aram Gershuni. Following this, he studied animation at the Bezalel Academy and graphic design at Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem. He is the illustrator of a number of books for children, including A Basket Full of Figs, In the Market of Zarobat and The Curious Case of the Passover Pot Roast. He is also the author-illustrator of Just One Thing… And Then Bedtime.