I was reading A Turkish Rosh Hashanah (via an online reader copy though it has recently been released) by Etan Basseri and thought about The Light Keeper by Levin, Baslaw and Priestley. It is not because they have a similar theme, setting (one is set in Russian, one in Turkey), or even that the main characters are all Jewish, but it just had that feel of something familiar and yet, also different. It was sweet, interesting and a bit educational without being textbook-like. They both were relatable, even if you had never actually experienced what the people were going through.
With The Light Keeper the story is about being brave, helping your family, and overcoming obstacles. But the setting, time frame, and specific characters give it something more. This time, in A Turkish Rosh Hashanah we follow three cousins who are different from each other (one never afraid, except when it comes to cats; one very shy and one with a “medium/middle” personality), but of course, loyal to each other, as they are in the market to find ingredients for their Nona’s celebration dinner. They deal with being brave, standing up for themselves, and learning the meaning behind their celebration. The afterwards gives information about the group of Jewish people the family belongs too and why the what is spoken is not what you might expect.
Again, while the story of Rosh Hashanah has been told before, having it set in Istanbul (or at the time Constantinople) and a different group of Jewish peoples keeps it fresh. The addition of overcoming fears, bullies and a bit of the culture around them allows the story to be familiar and new. This comes together with the illustrations of Zeynep Özatalay. They are cute, open, bright, colorful and a bit cartoonish, but not cartoony, or perhaps they are more “cuddly” and keep the upbeat tone.