Iceberg, Greenberg…
In preparation for the upcoming holiday, the Passover books and CDs came out of hiding just after Purim. Not wanting to “plague” my kids with my own negative attitude (a topic for another day…I promise!), I make every attempt to take this very serious holiday and bring it to the appropriate levels for my kids.
Peach has fallen in love with this book. “Read. Book.” Over and over again, he insists that we read this book to him. He enjoys pointing out “bad. king. (Pharaoh),” “boobah (who is actually baby Moses),” and “sick (boils).” When we get to the page with the Mah Nishtanah, he exclaims “bim bam!” Given that it isn’t a book about Shabbat, we correctly take this to mean “please sing this Hebrew song that doesn’t actually sound ANYTHING like bim bam.” He sleeps with it. Eats with it. And loves it.
And drooled all over it. And ate all over it. And broke it. Which is quite a feat given that it is a board book.
“Broke. Oh NO!” exclaimed Peach.
And so off I went, in search of a new book.
First store:
Didn’t have it. The computer said that they had it. But they didn’t. Not worried because there are PLENTY of other book stores in SoCal.
Second store:
Didn’t have it and has no plans to carry it. I did notice the Easter book display but didn’t say anything.
Third store:
A HUGE Easter display in the children’s section. A very meager Passover section on one narrow side of a display that had THREE sides devoted to Earth Day. Earth Day??
Now I am starting to get worried…
Fourth store:
Walked into the children’s display with THREE tables devoted to Easter books.
“May I help you?” inquired the bookseller.
“I need a Passover book. Do you have any or should I just get something from one of the THREE Easter tables?”
“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” answered the bookseller.
And he was serious.
“Um…Easter and Passover have nothing to do with each other so I’m gonna need a different option,” answered FS with as much patience as she could muster.
End result — they don’t carry the book. In fact, NONE of their stores in SoCal carry this book.
“Our buyer just didn’t feel that there would be much of a market for it. Would you like me to order it? It could be here in 5-9 working days.”
“Thanks, anyway. I’m going to the local Judaica shop,” FS replied, thinking that is what she should have done in the very first place.
And, indeed, it was at that shop where she found SEVERAL copies of Peach’s favourite book.
It was just one more reminder that we are often out-of-step with the rest of society.
Seriously, though, didn’t that guy know the difference between Passover and Easter??
Frume Sarah is Shabbos-observant -- in a Reform way, that is. Please note that from Friday afternoons until one hour after sundown on Saturday evenings, Frume Sarah will be unavailable, in observance of the Jewish Sabbath.
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Thank you for your understanding...and gut Shabbos!!! 
Frume Sarah's World 
Ask him if he knows that Eliyahu Ha-Navi killed the Easter Bunny. That should make for a good conversation.
I can’t remember the last time I bought a book in a store. There are still bookstores? In New Jersey, my finger walk across the keyboard to buy books.
I might want a new haggadah. For that, I might travel to our local Jewish bookshop. Not a far trip. In fact, it’s the only bookstore left in our town.
But you can buy matzah at Target in New Jersey. Just not whole wheat.
wow, life is so different in America.
at first, I was surprised to read about so many Easter books, until I remembered that we were not talking about Israel.
yet another good reason to make Aliyah…..
Chag Sameach!!
i’m with leora – i was all ready to ship you one from amazon ’til i read the end of the post:-) we love this book too. i have the pesach music out but i have to get some books going… we’ve been practicing the mah nishtana, for the first time as a hebrew reader!!!!
I guess you have to live in an area with a decent jewish population (though for some reason I though southern california had lots of Jews…)
Im my area, you can walk into a borders, a barnes & knoble, whatever book store you’d like and yes, you’ll come across an easter table or two but there is always a decently stocked jewish section with this book as well as several others. In fact, whenever I go to a bookstore I wind up picking up at least one or two different jewish books for my kids. We have a library of at least 100 jewish-themed books all of which were bought locally at our chain bookstores.