Charming and clever. A funny mash-up of Jewish history, Passover seder rituals, and Alice in Wonderland. Meet sages through the ages accompanied by a (scape)goat. Perfect for older children and teens who have already experienced long seders, to encourage curiosity and the joy of asking questions.

Thank you to NetGalley and W.W. Norton for the Advanced Reader Copy.

One Little Goat is a middle grade graphic novel that tells the story of Passover and how it came to be. The narrator, the self-professed wise child, has to time travel with a little goat through the years to visit other Seder meals, where he sees his family members as children, all the way back to the very first Seder meal. It is a quick read with dry humor sprinkled throughout. I learned more about this tradition reading this book. The art was very busy, and not really my preference. Perhaps this was impacted by reading on my phone. It might be better in an actual book.

I received a digital ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

The young protagonist of this graphic novel remarks that Passover is “a holiday celebrating freedom, but you are stuck at that table for a very long time.”
Although I was initially a bit confused, I quickly began to love this heartfelt and funny journey of a boy who has to travel through time to find the afikomen. I learned a lot about Jewish history and traditions and the author's underlying message is an important one.

The graphic novel format will make this a more attractive read to its target audience, and I was delighted by how much expression they added to the story.

I was definitely confused at the beginning. The humor is definitely more dry than I was expecting. I was confused what was a joke and what was a fact. I didn’t really find it funny. However, it did deliver on being informative. I started out with zero knowledge on Passover and left with a rough concept. The illustrations are not to my liking but each to their own. They were very unnerving to me. I’m sure this is a book for someone but I didn’t get what I hoped from this book.

I got an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

As soon as I learned Dara Horn was writing a graphic novel, I knew I needed to read it. And I was right—I adored this! One Little Goat tells the heartfelt and funny journey of a boy who has to travel through time to find the afikomen (a piece of matzah that is hidden during the Passover seder) so his family can finally finish their seder. He does this with the help of a talking goat who takes him to other seders throughout history, visiting his father in the Soviet Union and his great-grandmother in the Warsaw Ghetto, along with other Jewish figures from the past, including Doña Gracia Nasi and the rabbis we read about in the haggadah. My only critique is that the illustration style wasn't my favorite, with the exception of the goat, who was drawn to perfection. For such a colorful story, I wish the illustrations had been in color, although perhaps they are more powerful in a physical book, rather than an ebook. I'll be interested to compare once it comes out. After this triumph, I sincerely hope Dara Horn writes more for younger readers!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an electronic ARC from W. W. Norton & Company through NetGalley.
Very dry humor throughout. The young man is the Wise Child for Passover and doesn't understand the deeper meaning of this celebration. Readers see him search for the missing Afikoman through history. He journeys with the Goat who takes him back through Seder meals through time until they arrive at the original night in Egypt. The message under the humor is powerful. Horn offers opportunities for readers to learn, think and grow along with the main character.

This was a fun and bizarre graphic novel with a reflective message about how traditions stretch back within and across generations.

Thank you to NetGalley and W.W. Norton for the e-ARC of One Little Goat!
4 / 5 ⭐

Brought to us by the author of People Love Dead Jews, One Little Goat is a fun look back through time at Pesach throughout history through the eyes of our main character, the “wise child” of this year’s magically neverending seder. One Little Goat reflects on family dynamics, the Passover story, and generational trauma without being too heavy. The art style is not my personal preference; for all graphic novels, I highly suggest readers take a glance at the art in advance to see if it’s a good match for them, as preferences vary widely. This would be a great Pesach gift for teens wanting to connect more with the holiday.

The Afikomen is the half of the matza bread that is eaten at Passover, that is hidden. The tradition is that the children have to search for it to complete the passover ceremony.


For those who have never celebrated Passover, just know that it is a long dinner where there is a lot of time that food is not eaten. It is a tradition that goes back 3000 years. It is celebrated more or less the same way every year.


In this story, the baby of the family finds the afikomen and throws it through a whole in the space time continuum. Without the afikomen, passover can not end, so the oldest, the Wise Child, the narrator, has to go in search of it. He does this with a little goat, who happens to be a scapegoat, that takes him to Passovers past, including that of his great grandmother who escaped the Warsaw Ghetto, and his Dad, who was raised in the USSR, where he was not allowed to celebrate at all.


Good story to explain Passover, especially to kids that have been through it with their family and have no idea why they are really celebrating, or what it all means.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 4th of March 2025.

The young protagonist of this graphic novel quips that Passover is “a holiday celebrating freedom, but you are stuck at that table for a very long time.”

But our frustrated protagonist — who jokingly refers to himself as the Wise Child — doesn’t know the half of it. When his baby sister loses the Afikomen (a hidden piece of matzah), it looks like the family may never be able to end this Seder! After all, it’s already been six months!

Cue the titular goat. He’s the scapegoat from the Seder song. This talking goat takes the Wise Child on a tour of Seders Past in a wonderful twist. I suspect Jews will love this book, but as a goy I did, too, proving you don’t have to be Jewish to love One Little Goat.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, W.W. Norton & Co. and Norton Young Readers in exchange for an honest review.


Reading Progress