Tashlich at Turtle Rock, by Susan Schnur and Anna Schnur-Fishman

The Rosh Hashanah custom of tashlich involves the casting away of sins to start the New Year with a clean slate. Anna, Lincoln, and their parents have made an annual ceremony of tashlich by celebrating their accomplishments, committing to good works in the coming year, and discarding the transgressions that they have made against other people in the previous year. With an eye toward leaving a smaller ecological footprint, Anna’s family does not write and burn their sins as many people do, but “deposit” them on natural items like acorn caps and stones, or bread crumbs that will be consumed by fish. The family’s practice is lovely as is their exurban neighborhood, full of running streams and brightly colored leaves. It would be easy for readers to use this book as a blueprint for their own tashlich ceremony as the author even suggests urban alternatives to running streams (such as fountains and, oddly, toilets). Paperback, 32 pages, isbn 9780761345107