Celebrating Purim with Some Very Cute Party Animals: Ten Purim Bears

Feb 10, 2025 by Two Sues On the Aisle

By Sue Weston and Susie Rosenbluth, Two Sues on the Aisle

Being invited to a Purim seuda is fun for everyone, but it also raises the question: What should I bring? The obvious answer is food to fit in with the hosting family’s menu, but finding suitable treats for the youngest children around the table can present a challenge—one answered this year by Teaneck author Ron Atlas, whose new board book, Ten Purim Bears, has just been published by The Collective Book Studio.

Illustrated by Zach Horvath, this counting book, geared for children ages 2-5, is not only about Purim treats and costumes, but also, he says, “friendship, sharing, and the joy of celebration.”

Based on Mr. Atlas’s previous book (a secular one) entitled Once a Bear, it took only a few changes—names and quotes by the characters—to become delicious for Purim. “Artists at The Collective dressed up my bears in various costumes, and, just like that, we had a new book with a new title,” he says.

The result is the story of an adorable little bear in a baseball costume, sitting in the first of ten chairs. He is soon joined by another—his cousin, Tim—in a red fireman’s outfit. One by one, costumed playmates follow, each claiming a chair as they eagerly wait for what happens next.

Along with hamantaschen, kreplach, and the story of Queen Esther, the book fulfills some of Mr. Atlas’s favorite thoughts about Purim: “the fun of dressing up in costumes, being someone else, and looking like someone else for the day.”

Ten Purim Bears is a charming gift for the youngest celebrants—and their parents—at any Purim party.

Two Sues on the Aisle bases its ratings on how many challahs (1-5) it pays to buy (rather than make) to see the play, show, film, book, or exhibit being reviewed.

Ten Purim Bears received 5 Challahs.