The chief rabbi in heaven begins to give out gifts to all of the various Jewish holidays in this imaginative fairy-tale explaining the significance of each different observance. From Shabbat, a blushing bride who receives a Kiddush cup, to Pesach, a vigorous young man leading a tribe of Israelites, who is given a special plate, each holiday appears in a human guise that signifies its nature, and receives a gift that indicates its purpose. When the ceremony is over, it looks like little Sukkot has been forgotten, but nothing could be further from the truth...

Published in 1999, Why Does It Always Rain on Sukkot? looks to be author Susan Schaalman Youdovin's only picture-book. She dedicates it to her mother and to her father, who was a rabbi. I enjoyed her story here, and appreciated the significance of each figure, each gift. It requires some knowledge of Jewish traditions to get the most from the narrative, so I would recommend this one primarily to children who are already familiar with the holidays in question. The accompanying artwork from Miriam Nerlove, done in watercolor and pen and ink, are a little too cute for my taste, although I did appreciate the decorative border, complete with writing in Hebrew, that surrounds each painting. Recommended to picture-book readers seeking stories about the Jewish holidays. ( )