Next year in the White House Barack Obama's first presidential Seder

Told partly in jest but also to make serious points, Michelson's book takes readers back to 2008, to three lonely presidential campaign workers who gathered in a dingy meeting room in Harrisburg with a package of matzo, two cans of macaroons, and a bottle of Manischewitz for a Passover seder. There came a sudden knock at the door, and in walked not Elijah but Barack Obama, who not only joined in that celebration but--in earnest of how it brought descendants of two enslaved peoples together to share a meal and celebrate their historical liberation--went on to make it an annual White House event. Lewis opens and closes views of that makeshift seder with intimate scenes of the first of eight later ones with Malia, Sasha, and even four-legged Bo Obama joining the president-elect, the First Lady, and a small group of other staffers in much more elegant surroundings. Along with images of an annotated Haggadah booklet from that first White House Passover Seder, the back matter also includes a recipe for the sweet apricot cake that was served. As the original trio writes in a collective closing note, the "purpose of Passover is to tell the story of freedom in your own way and in your time." "At its heart," they go on, "it's about the family you have and the family you make."

Christmas and Easter celebrations have been White House mainstays for more than a century, but the first presidential Passover Seder didn't occur until 2009. Michelson's reportorial text, accompanied by Lewis's realist watercolor vignettes, offer readers the backstory. After a hard year on the campaign trail, three aides to then-senator Barack Obama are "feeling homesick... hungry... tired." Throwing together a meager but heartfelt seder in a hotel basement, they are joined unexpectedly by the candidate himself, who is inspired by the Haggadah's story and declares, "Next year in the White House!" That hope is fulfilled a year later, when President Obama presides over a beautifully appointed White House seder, his daughters hunt for the afikomen, and Michelle Obama's observation captures the profound significance of the moment: "It is a miracle that the descendants of two enslaved peoples are now free to share a meal together in the White House, at the invitation of America's first Black president." Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Extensive back matter concludes. Ages 4--8. (Mar.)

This nonfiction picture book (likely with invented dialogue) begins with the first White House Passover Seder, in 2011, and then flashes back to the new tradition's origins on Barack Obama's campaign trail the previous year, when Jewish staff members missed their family Seders. The (somewhat lengthy) text presents Passover and the biblical Exodus story accessibly and makes connections to Obama and earlier civil rights figures. Varied perspectives in the watercolor illustrations add visual interest. Back matter gives more information about the first White House Seder. (c) Copyright 2025. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The story of the first-ever White House Passover seder, celebrated by Barack Obama in 2009. As the Obama family and their guests come together, staffers Herbie Ziskend, Eric Lesser, and Arun Chaudhary recall last year's seder, an impromptu gathering held in a hotel basement while the then-senator was on the campaign trail. Like his staffers, Obama was homesick, tired, and struggling to maintain hope against the odds. As he and his family joined Herbie, Eric, and Arun in the ritual retelling of the Israelites' exodus from slavery in Egypt, they all reflected on how this age-old story still inspired many intertwined struggles for liberation. Obama found the experience so moving that he declared, "Next year in the White House!" The story then flashes forward to 2009 as Michelle Obama calls the event a modern-day miracle: "The descendants of enslaved people are now free to share a meal together in the White House, at the invitation of America's first Black president." This elegantly told, behind-the-scenes peek at a momentous historical occasion is simultaneously intimate and solemn, balancing a vision for a more inclusive America with an authentic portrayal of the meaning and rituals of Passover. Lewis' sophisticated, impressionistic watercolors capture both a sense of grandeur and small moments of tenderness: Herbie, Eric, and Arun sitting in the dingy basement; first daughters Sasha and Malia and their dog Bo searching for the afikomen. Essential reading for all children--and adults--who hope for freedom for all. (note from Ziskend, Lesser, and Chaudhary; hand-painted Haggadah page; information on the first White House seder, on Black history, and on Passover; photo; recipe for flourless apple apricot cake)(Informational picture book. 5-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.