A wilfully peculiar book with serious intentions. A kid is forced to learn a bit more about the Passover Seder when a part of the current celebration goes missing, somewhere in space/time. It's a feast where you have to abide by the rules, which include reciting the reasons behind the feast and the rules and the abiding by them, so this fits the bill somewhat, even if it does introduce a talking, cloud-propelled goat. The author's shtick seems to be the palimpsest of current time upon past time upon past time upon past time, and so on, so the layers of the Seders from everywhere and everywhen are all accessible – and necessary, if the Macguffin is ever to be found.

To me the standout here was the art – detailed, surprisingly rich and something that stood out from the routine graphic novel and then some. The text was fine – readable and of interest to a Goy like me – but something I found myself not really able to judge. Is this too wacky, and irreverent? Is it just preaching to the converted – or perfectly acceptable, given that the directions for the meal's celebration are included in the meal's celebration? Either way, it talks of family connections, and how the meal could be taken for granted if you don't care to learn and embody why it's important – and has been important for so very long to some many people.

Either way, this remains something I'll remember for the visuals more than any actual religious lesson. A close second will be the bonkersness of it all – and if that doesn't put you off, I'd certainly give this a try. It's a breezy thing that takes up much less time than certain repasts, anyway. Three and a half stars – although rated in isolation the art would probably get full marks.

There are more than four questions.

Dara Horn combines a time portal, and a talking goat with her dry wit, observations about family dynamics, and small lessons in Jewish history to tell this fantastic Passover middle grade story. Prolific illustrator Theo Ellsworth has added his own unique style to bring this story to life in a graphic novel. Instead of using the usual color panels that are typical of many graphic novels, he chooses to use intricate black and white line art which helps set the mood. The detailed illustrations were as strange as the story and I was captivated by both.

We have all been to seders that felt like they would never end. But when the baby throws the afikoman into a time portal, everyone is stuck at the seder for months on end. In true time-travel trope fashion events happen all at the same time. Dara Horn adds her own twist to this marvelous middle grade graphic novel. All seders are not only happening at the same time, but they are all stacked underneath each other. When the scapegoat from the Passover Seder song shows up, he leads the oldest son through a portal and down through Passovers past to find the afikoman. The boy sees the seders of his own family members before delving even deeper into the past and realizes that he didn't really know them that well. While traveling deep into the past, the readers will learn a lot of Jewish history along with the protagonist, and the youngster learns that maybe "the wisest son" may not be so wise after all. As the author points out in her afterward, the exodus may have been 3000 years ago, but we continue to battle prejudice and persecution. Passover has four questions, but there are always more questions to be asked.

This is a tale of finding the afikomen which was lost during a seder. With the help of a small talking goat, the Wise Child travels back in time to visit his various ancestors during their seders, finally going back as far as to the original seder prior to the exodus from Egypt.

I enjoyed the story and I’m not sure if I actually knew about the afikomen (I am a gentile and my husband is Jewish), so I did learn something. However, to be honest and brutally frank, the illustrations were downright unattractive, even ugly. Each black and white panel was extremely busy and overdone with way too much unnecessary detail, often giving me a headache. Even the font used seemed like it was intended for Nervous Nelly and made me uncomfortable. It caused me to hurriedly rush through the graphic novel just to end it. This is not a good sign.

Half of my attraction to graphic novels is the artwork and illustrations. The other half is the story, color, and lettering. Sorry to say that this book did not meet even the halfway mark, meeting perhaps just 30% of what I consider a good graphic novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.

I was drawn to this book since Had Gadya has always been my family's favorite part of the seder and it did not disappoint! I love the time travel through various s'derim, meeting famous Jewish historical figures. Pair this with the short story compilation On All Other Nights to give your middle grade readers a fresh perspective on Passover. Highly recommended for grades 5 & up.

Thank you to Norton Young Readers and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This graphic novel explores what would happen if the Passover Seder is not finished. At the seder, the leader breaks the Afikomen, or the middle matzoh, in half and hides it. The children later search for it and basically hold it for ransom when the leader “buys” it back. In this story, the Afikomen is thrown into a hole in the space-time continuum. It is up to the “wise child” to search for it with the “scape” goat. The rest of the family is basically frozen in time as they cannot leave the unfinished seder until the Afikomen is returned. This story takes some weird turns as the narrator and goat travel through Jewish history. Having grown up in a Reform Jewish home and participated in my fair share of seders, there were some aspects of this seder that I was not aware. Some things just didn’t make sense (and I am a fan of Doctor Who) and the illustrations were a bit weird.

#OneLittleGoat #NetGalley

Thank you to W. W. Norton & Company | Norton Young Readers, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this!

As someone who grew up going to Seder, they did often feel well... undending. So to find a book where that *is* the premise, that it's going on forever? very funny.
I loved the scapegoat, who I did feel very sorry for. I loved the journey through the Seder, and the illustrations felt very nostalgic to me.

If you ever identified with the Wise Child (or was angry at the Wise Child for being so sanctimonious), this is very much a short, emotional book for you or your children!
I definitely will be recommending this to my students.

Passover Seder cannot end because the "afikomen" [dessert] has been lost. Six months later a goat takes the oldest son on a trip through history to Biblical times. Silly and graphics do not add to the retelling.

Not being Jewish myself, most of what I know about the Passover Seder comes from other books, mostly children's books that I have read, so this review is written from that point of view. One little goat introduces the reader to a family stuck at a seder because they are missing what they need to complete the ritual in the correct order. I thought the humor and sarcasm from the main characters came across very well, and was very funny. The art, while not quite to my taste, was clear, and helped tell the story. I did feel that some of the travel with the goat seemed overly complicated. Dipping into different historical time periods while fun and informative, was also a bit confusing at times, as there were so many stops and the goat was in such a hurry, that some things didn't feel full explained. Lastly, there were several parts of the seder that figured heavily in the story of which I was unaware. I had to look up more information for some of them to make sense. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but as a book for kids, leaving too much to the reader to figure out on their own can be a problem. I'm sure reading the book with more knowledge and experience of a Passover Seder is a much different experience.

I cannot believe I've gone through 31 years on this planet knowing absolutely nothing about Passover. This book is a wildly illustrated strange story about a first-born son and his search through a hallway of time and space for his family's missing afikomen. (If you're worried because, like me, you had no prior knowledge of Passover, do not worry; terminology and traditions are explained in a natural and story-serving way.)
The illustration style is so unique and shows movement and sound and the chaos of the situation in a fitting way. It is well suited to the oddness of the story itself.
It was like the graphic novel Passover version of Bradbury's The Halloween Tree in its historical exploration of customs through time. It was a fun, well-paced and informative ride that I easily read in one sitting.

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