A Place for Elijah

"On a cold, rainy spring evening, Sarah and her family set the Passover Seder table with room for all the invited guests, including a seat for Elijah the Prophet. Sarah's mother lights a fire to warm the house. The Seder begins, and the story of the Jewish people in Egypt and their escape from slavery into the Promised Land is recounted, during which the afikomen is hidden. A knock on the door does not bring the expected guest, Elijah, but Mrs. Faaiz, one of the neighbors. She has lost power and is looking for a place with light and heat. Mama invites her to join them, and Sarah sets another place, sure that Elijah still has a seat. Papa explains the Seder meal to their new guest, including the reasons for matzah and the Seder plate, which includes the charoset, horseradish, parsley, salt water, and a shankbone. Another knock on the door brings Bagel Ben, a neighbor who has also lost power and is looking for a place to warm his soup. He too is invited to the Seder and accepts. As the Seder progresses, multiple additional and uninvited neighbors come in, including Manny the monkey, to share the apartment's power; all are invited to join the Seder. The meal continues and the last guest to knock and get invited in uses the last available seat in the house, saddening Sarah who no longer has a seat to set for Elijah. This last guest is the magazine seller, a boy everyone knows, but not by name. He introduces himself as Elijah! The children are thrilled that their patience waiting for Elijah has been rewarded!

This sweet and family oriented story illustrates a neighborhood of people inclusive of differences and nationalities, and helpful to each other. The story is followed by facts about the Cup of Elijah and the tradition of filling a cup at the Seder for this special guest." -- AJL Reviews

"Ruben (The Outlandish Adventures of Liberty Aimes) introduces a host of Passover traditions, including leaving an empty seat for the prophet Elijah, through one family's ever-growing celebration. Sarah and her family are settling in for a chilly first night of Passover when a power outage brings a stream of neighbors to their door. The setting isn't precisely specified, but details of the neighborhood and the characters' clothing suggests an American city sometime during the first half of the 20th century. With each new guest, be it Mrs. Faaiz the florist or Ben at the bagel shop, Sarah grows increasingly nervous that there won't be enough room for Elijah; the arrival of the final guest, a young African-American newsie whose name is revealed to be Elijah, suggests that honoring the spirit of a tradition is just as valuable as following it to the letter. Friar's (O Christmas Tree) finely detailed illustrations turn Sarah's family's Passover meal into an inclusive, multiethnic affair, while Ruben's straightforward narration makes the holiday's customs and practices clear and accessible." -- Publisher's Weekly