The heroine of Talia and the Rude Vegetables (2011) returns with a new tale of Jewish holiday misunderstandings. While visiting her grandparents, Talia is asked to help prepare the Yom Kippur (which she hears as YUM Kippur) break-fast meal. Unaware that the Day of Atonement is a fast day and that this meal will not be served until evening, she nevertheless enjoys helping to prepare a delicious noodle kugel (recipe appended), cookies and cakes, tuna salad, and blintzes. Talia is also confused about this being a "fast" day, for it seems to go slowly, with everyone away at synagogue. Eventually, Grandma explains fasting and the concept of asking for forgiveness, prompting Talia to confess her own misdeeds to the understanding woman. Assirelli's acrylic folk-style illustrations feature soft, rounded shapes that signal coziness and the security Talia feels as she works through her many misconceptions. Pair with Sylvia Rouss' Sammy Spider's First Yom Kippur (2013) for religious-school story hours or young family sharing.

K-Gr 2 The heroine of Talia and the Rude Vegetables (Kar-Ben, 2012) is back, and she still seems to have a hearing problem. This time she mistakes the Yom Kippur break-fast (when Jews break their fast at the end of the Day of Atonement) for a YUM Kippur breakfast. She helps Grandma make a yummy kugel (recipe included at the back) and is surprised when everyone skips breakfast; she wonders why a "fast day" passes so slowly with most of her family away at synagogue. Grandma finally notices her confusion and explains that it's a holiday of reflection and apology. Talia experiences the deliciousness of forgiveness and concludes that it really was a "YUM" Kippur. This title works better than its predecessor because its pun makes more sense. In the earlier volume, the rudeness of the root vegetables was all in Talia's imagination; here the yum factor of Yom Kippur turns out to be real. Grandma's explanation of the holiday is age-appropriate, and it's a nice touch that Talia not only apologizes and receives forgiveness for having broken a lamp and lied about it, she also looks for more ways to be a better person by offering to set the table. The acrylic illustrations are rounded, childlike and friendly, creating a cozy atmosphere in which Talia can feel safe to admit her misdeeds. VERDICT This pleasant and gentle introduction to the holiday of Yom Kippur includes a brief definition at the back of the book and a kugel recipe. Heidi Estrin, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL