Afikomen by Tziporah Cohen, illustrated by Yaara Eshet

In this wordless time-travel adventure, three children at a Passover seder visit ancient Egypt to help baby Moses find his way safely to Pharaoh's daughter.

When a family settles at the table for Passover, their dog nabs the afikomen bag (containing matzah used for the seder) and dives under the tablecloth. The children follow him and find themselves transported to ancient Egypt. There, they see baby Moses' mother and sister Miriam placing him in a reed basket. The baby's journey down the Nile is hazardous he encounters several obstacles along the way, including a wily crocodile. Thanks to the three children, he reaches his destination unharmed, with a piece of afikomen tucked into his basket. The children return to the seder table and, exhausted, fall asleep. But what are their parents to make of the grains of sand in the afikomen bag?

The picture book also includes an author's note about the meaning of the Passover holiday and about different afikomen traditions.

(From Groundwood Books)

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Tziporah (Tzippy) Cohenwas born and raised in New York. She graduated from Harvard Medical School and has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives in Canada, and splits her time between writing and working as an oncology/palliative care psychiatrist.

Her debut middle-grade novel No Vacancy won the Jean Little First-Novel Award and was a Sydney Taylor Award honor and a National Jewish Book Award finalist.

Yaara Eshetwas born in Israel and studied at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. She is currently based in Toronto, and has illustrated more than thirty books for readers of all ages, including Journey Around the Sun: The Story of Halley's Comet by James Gladstone, which received starred reviews from Kirkus and Quill and Quire. Her art has been exhibited in Israel and Canada.