Two new Haggadot from Behrman House follow the traditional order and use clear language to explain the whys and wherefores of everything from candlelighting to Kiddush to the objects on the seder plate.

But still they are different. The Promise of the Land: A Passover Haggadah, written by Rabbi Ellen Bernstein (96 pp. $9.95, paperback), puts the environment—especially the Land of Israel—front and center. Bernstein, founder of Shomrei Adamah, Keepers of the Earth, one of the first Jewish environmental organizations, couples her text with collage illustrations, colorful papercuts and calligraphy by Galia Goodman. With commentary on the traditional text, in Hebrew and translated into English, Bernstein reminds us that when the Israelites were redeemed from Egypt, their goal was to reach the promised Land of Israel, where they would fulfill the laws related to agriculture.

The Essential Seder: A Contemporary Haggadah, compiled and illustrated by painter and collage artist Deborah Gross-Zuchman (40 pp. $7.98, paperback), uses concise and modern language to help readers conduct a short and sweet but also meaningful seder, with blessing in Hebrew and transliterated and translated into English. You can easily hold it in one hand while grasping a goblet of wine in the other.