Get yourself an illustrated haggadah

As a child, I always got antsy during the Passover seder. My dad insisted on never skimping; as a little girl, this drawn out mealtime ritual felt like an eternity to me. I'm pretty sure I snacked on matzo throughout the seder to distract me from my growling belly.

One more thing helped me get through the seder. The Animated Haggadah.

I loved this book. While all the other adults followed along in the dry and long Maxwell House Haggadah, I held this slim hardback book on my lap, enthralled with the claymation images. I still have the book. I still flip through it every year; for the past four years, I put it out for my seder guests to look through. The animation is just as lively as ever. And my name is still written in big block letters, first-grade chicken scratch, on the inside front cover.

As I prepare for a second night seder at my house, I thought it'd be nice to reflect on the beautiful images and artwork that Passover has inspired, not least of which is the Animated Haggadah. Jewish artists began illustrating the haggadah in the Middle Ages, a practice that continues today.

In honor of Passover-inspired artistic storytelling, I thought I'd dig around to see what other illustrated or artistic haggadahs are available for your reading pleasure.

• ArtScroll Youth Haggadah: Contains full traditional text in large type. New translation clarifies difficult passages with clear instructions and more than 50 color illustrations by Yosef Dershowitz and Dovid Sears "that add beauty and inspiration," according to Chabad.org. A selection of comments that can be read aloud at the Seder includes comments by Rabbis Nosson and Yitzchok Zev Scherman.

• The Moriah Haggadah: Created by Jerusalem artist Avner Moriah. The book contains gorgeous watercolor paintings that chronicle the entire Passover story. An English/Hebrew version is available. To view sample pages, check here.

• The Open Door Haggadah: Painter Ruth Weisberg made the drawings featured in this haggadah thanks to the Jewish Artists Initiative and Hebrew Union College. Published by the Central Conference of American Rabbis, Weisberg's drawings explore both te Exodus from Egypt and modern day celebrations of the holiday. The drawings and monotypes, whihc highlight a feminist perspective of Passover, are currently on display through May 31 at HUC's Jewish Institte of Religion in Los Angeles. To view the haggadah, click here.

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