Autumn is Izzy's favorite time of year. A time of changes, of apples and honey, and the sound of the Shofar. As Rosh Hashanah draws near, Izzy joins his family in making "I'm sorry" lists, preparing for Taschlich, in which the previous year's transgressions are symbolically cast away. But this year, he has a very difficult apology to make...

April Halprin Wayland's New Year at the Pier, which emphasizes the importance of both repentance and forgiveness in the Jewish New Year tradition, is an engaging and believable tale of family, friendship, and community. Izzy makes for an appealing young hero, as fallible as any other young boy, but also sincerely interested in doing right. Stéphane Jorisch's sprightly illustrations add to the sense of fun and celebration. All in all, a very pleasing holiday tale that should appeal to young readers of all religious persuasions. ( )

I liked this book a lot. In addition to introducing the concepts behind the observance of Rosh Hashanah, it tells a good story about the boy Izzi and demonstrates effective use of ellipses a couple of times during the telling. ( )

Sydney Taylor Award Winner 2010

I really enjoyed reading this book. I feel like I have a better idea of what Rosh Hashanah means. I think this book could also be used for discussion about apologizing or forgiveness. ( )

The winner of this year's Sydney Taylor Book Award for youngest children was "New Year at the pier: a Rosh Hashanah story," by April Halprin Wayland. Ms Wayland wrote the book but when you open the book you will also be amazed by Stephane Jorisch's illustrations. They are lively, colorful and have a classy feeling as if they were drawn the 1920's or 30's of the last century. They evoke that old world charm we feel when paging through children's books of that ear, yet at the same time they are multiethnic and clearly showing the New World.

The story is sweet and educational too. It explains from the perspective of Izzy, a young child what Tashlich is about and what he seeks forgiveness for . It teaches how hard it can be to gain it, but also how rewarding to give it. Instead of writing more about the story I would like to show its book-trailer. (A book-trailer is a like a movie trailer but for books.)