The Passover Guest

Muriel's family can't afford to hold a Passover Seder this year--but when a mysterious magician appears, a miracle ensues.

It is the first night of Passover, 1933. Walking past the Lincoln memorial in Washington D.C., Muriel spots a magician and pauses to watch his act. When she offers him a tip, the magician encourages Muriel to hurry home for her family's Seder. Though she knows her family is too poor to prepare a meal this year, Muriel does go-- and, miraculously, a Passover feast awaits her. The whole Jewish community delights-- but who could the mysterious magician have been, and how did he manage it?

Perfect for any Passover gathering

This adaptation of Der Kunzen-Macher (The Magician) by Polish author and playwright I.L. Peretz, perfect for young readers, evokes the spirit of the holiday-- and the magic of belief. Handsomely illustrated by graphic novelist Sean Rubin, the Depression-era setting draws from historical photographs of Washington, D.C., bringing Muriel's world to life.

Backmatter includes useful essays on the holiday.

Susan Kusel is a synagogue librarian and children’s book buyer for an independent bookstore. She has served as a member of the Caldecott Medal selection committee and the chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee. The Passover Guest is Kusel’s first picture book. She lives in Arlington, VA.

Sean Rubin has illustrated several books for children. He wrote and illustrated the graphic novel Bolivar, which was nominated for an Eisner award and is being adapted into a feature film with Fox Studios. He also illustrated The Astronaut Who Painted the Moon: The Story of Alan Bean by Dean Robbins. Rubin studied art and archeology at Princeton University. He lives in Charleston, VA.