Review of Why On This Night? A Passover Haggadah for Family Celebration by Rahel Musleah. Illustrated by Louise August. Aladdin Paperbacks/Simon & Schuster. 110 pp. $12.99.

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Growing up, writer Rahel Musleah, who was born in Calcutta, India, and moved to Philadelphia at age six, had wonderful, lively seders – the ritual Passover meal. "My father is a rabbi. We all read and sang in Hebrew and Judeo-Arabic. We'd invite other people and they would read in whatever language they were comfortable in – English, even Russian. These were fond memories for me, but others may not have enjoyed their Seders so much."

Why On This Night? A Passover Haggadah for Family Celebration, her newly published Haggadah – the book used during the Passover seder – is for those Jews who find the Passover seder daunting, overwhelming or just plain boring. After surveying the multitude of Haggadot (plural of Haggadah) that have been published over the years – some traditional, some modern, some iconoclastic, some political – Musleah said: "I felt that there still wasn't a Haggadah that had a balance of Hebrew and English that was appropriate for kids with beautiful illustrations, a child-friendly commentary, activities, recipes and songs that kids could enjoy as an integral part of the seder."

Musleah estimates that it took about four years to develop both the text and the art for Why On This Night. "I took a lot of time to make sure that the Hebrew was correct, even down to the accent marks," she points out. But, in addition to being linguistically correct, Musleah wanted to be inclusive. The Haggadah contains most of the traditional Passover songs, from the introductory Kadesh, Urhatz, which is a recitation of the evening's order, to the Four Questions, the Four Children, and Ehad Mi Yode'a and Had Gadya, two rousing, end-of-seder songs. She has also borrowed customs from a variety of Jewish cultures. For example, although most Ashkenazic Jews – those of Eastern European origin – use parsley for the green vegetable, Musleah's family used romaine lettuce, which she notes has a Talmudic origin.

Among other kid-friendly elements, Musleah has incorporated a dramatic playlet, which tells the story of Passover in dialogue and narrative. With four short acts and eight characters, some creative families, using this book as a guide, will surely come up with costumes and scenery to reenact the story of the Exodus right in their dining rooms. One Indian Jewish custom that Musleah has passed on to her daughters – and includes in this Haggadah – requires children to reenact the Exodus. "From where have you come?" asks the seder leader. Mi-Mitzrayim, from Egypt," say the youngsters. "Where are you going?" they are asked. L'Yerushalayim, to Jerusalem," they respond as they place matzah in a sack or pillowcase, sling it over their shoulders and circle the table.

The idea of getting children engaged beyond the four questions is one that many American Jews have been pondering. So many seders begin with the refrain, "When can we eat?" and proceed downhill from there. Not to worry, Musleah has an answer even for that. Follow the older custom of allowing children – and adults – to munch on raw veggies following the blessing over the green vegetable. Think of it as the first-course salad and most children will be able to hold out until it is time for the matzah and the meal.

The author has also woven in references to modern-day issues. Accompanying the discussion of the ancient Jewish Exodus is a paragraph about a dramatic Jewish Exodus in our own time: the secret Ethiopian airlifts – Operation Moses and Operation Solomon – that brought thousands of Beta Israel Jews from poverty in Ethiopia to modern life in Israel. Musleah suggests leaving space for discussions of family histories and relationships, homelessness, the Holocaust and other significant events, connecting ancient rituals with up-to-date events your children may hear about in school or from news reports.

Illustrator Louise August used a combination of lino cuts printed in oil on rice paper with other media including collage, gouache and painting. Vibrant paintings evoking the rebirth and bloom of spring decorate each page. The pre-seder activities Musleah suggests are mostly standard fare and easy to accomplish: covering plastic cups with tissue paper and glue for kiddush or wine cups and making name cards for the guests. Throughout the book, she keeps the children moving, at one point suggesting that they enact a dance, at another, later in the evening, asking them to stand and sit for a seder song.

Family seders are among the most celebrated of all Jewish rituals. It's not hard to understand why. Yet most families--especially those with young children – don't follow a Haggadah word for word, line by line. seders take planning, but they play out through improvisation. Musleah hopes that families with elementary school-aged children will incorporate Why On This Night? into their own seder experiences. But she understands the challenge of keeping up a family tradition versus experimenting with something new especially on this most important holiday.

Which Haggadah will be on Musleah's own seder table this year? "We will use both the traditional one [from India] as well as my new Haggadah. It'll be fun to see how we can merge the two."