(4) K-3 Illustrated by Damien Jones. Hanging out with a bunch of pirates sounds like more fun than doing chores to prepare for Rosh Hashanah, so Avital boards Uncle Captain Brownbeard’s ship. Aptly for the self improvement–focused Jewish New Year, she helps the crew find alternate activities to stealing and fighting, including games, shofar-blowing, and singing Rosh Hashanah songs. The story is didactic, but the pirate element and the cartoonish pencil-and-digital illustrations make for a welcome silly tale about the holiday. Brief back matter includes a glossary, author’s note, and pirate facts.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax