Passover this year, 2023, begins at sundown on Wednesday, April 5, and ends at sundown on Thursday, April 13. Easter falls in the middle on Sunday, April 9. Knowing about Passover will bless Christian kids.
They will learn that Passover is a remembrance and sacred celebration of the freedom that God brought to the Israelites when he brought them out of slavery in Egypt. In the gospels we read about Jesus and his disciples celebrating the Passover on the night before the morning of Good Friday. Jesus helped his disciples know that he was now going to free them from a greater bondage–a bondage to sin. The Passover of Egypt so many years before was a foreshadowing of the bigger plan of God. Jesus would soon become their and our Passover lamb, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John 1:29 (NIV).
Knowing about Passover will nourish your child’s soul, pointing him to the greatness and goodness of God. Our God cares for and delivers his beloved ones.
We can recommend two books that we have previously reviewed, the beautifully illustrated Exodus and Walk with Y’shua Through the Jewish Year which has a chapter on the Passover.
Patsy has also found a fun, interactive book for children (you’ll have fun too) that tells about the origin of Passover and how Jews celebrate it.
ABC Passover Hunt, written by Tilda Balsley, illustrated by Helen Poole, and published by Kar-Ben Publishing (2016), isn’t your everyday picture book. The first page says, “An alphabet Passover scene. Find all the letters in between!” The last page reads, ” Z’man cheruteinu……We celebrate that we are free! Happy Passover to every family!”
On each page of this book and for each letter of the alphabet, there is a word pertaining to Jewish history, the Bible or the Passover holiday. The book uses questions and colorful, cartoon-like drawings to explain aspects of Passover and its celebration. For example, the question on the “B” page asks what was baby Moses’ boat on the Nile. The drawing on the page shows a box, an inner tube, a leaf, a rowboat, a rubber ducky, and a basket. The child guesses which was Moses’ boat. The answers to all of the questions are at the end of the book.
I found ABC Passover Hunt interesting and fun, with poems that rhyme and that describe what is being conveyed. Pictures depict Bible characters, food used in the Passover meal, maps, families celebrating together, etc. There are some Hebrew letters and words. One of the questions for the letter N is “Nisan…..This is the month that Passover’s in. On which day does it begin?” As I mentioned before, all the answers are on the last page of the book, in addition to a paragraph entitled “About Passover.”
This book describes and illustrates Passover in a very clear way that young children can understand. The best age of readers would be from four to twelve years. I learned a lot from this 32-page book and I hope you will as well.
Patsy Ledbetter has written poetry, short stories, devotionals, and book reviews for many years. She has also been a drama instructor, special needs teacher and substitute teacher. She and Kevin have been married for 41 years. They recently lost their oldest son Craig, age 33. They now have three children, Vanessa, Bethany and David. They also have four grandchildren, Elyse, Aurora, Hayden, and Molly. Kevin has been a music pastor most of his life and together they serve the Lord in a local church. Patsy loves to read, pray, and spend time outdoors and with family and friends. Her main desire is to bring glory to God through all the talents He has given her.