A contemporary Passover Seder alternates between the perspective of a brown-skinned, kippah-wearing boy celebrating inside with a diverse group of friends and family, and a stray kitten outside his home. "Inside, the boy dipped parsley into salt water. Outside, the kitten chewed a wet blade of grass ... Inside, the boy heard the tale of the Israelites leaving Egypt. Outside, the kitten heard leaves whispering in the trees." In contrast to the cold, shadowy blue of the kitten's quiet surroundings, the boy's evening glows with warmth and companionship. He participates in traditional Seder rituals as the kitten passes a solitary evening; occasionally the narrative returns to a chorus of "Still the boy waited. Still the kitten waited." When the boy finally opens the door for Elijah, the kitten is peering inside. "And that's how Elijah found a home." An author's note provides more information about Passover and her memories of childhood Seders, including a boxed list of traditional rituals. (Ages 4-7)

Winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award and the National Jewish Book Award, Welcoming Elijah by celebrated author Lesléa Newman, unites a young boy and a stray kitten in a warm, lyrical story about Passover, family, and friendship.

Inside, a boy and his family sit around the dinner table to embrace the many traditions of their Passover Seder around the dinner table. Outside, a cat wonders, hungry and alone. When it's time for the symbolic Passover custom of opening the family's front door for the prophet Elijah, both the boy and the cat are in for a remarkable surprise.