May 1, 2013
PreS-Gr 1-Sammy and Sophie find a mysterious piece of paper in the attic, and, showing it to Grandma Gert, learn that it is the family recipe for challah written in Yiddish. The children, Grandma Gert, and several of her retirement-community friends (both cheerful and curmudgeonly) head to the kitchen to make challah for Shabbat, mixing and braiding and spending time together. The cartoon illustrations are lively and clearly show Grandma's neighbor, Grumpy Old Ned, undergoing a change of heart under the influence of the Shabbat spirit. The strong intergenerational message is undercut, however, by the awkward rhyming text and puns. Old Ned ends the tale with a groaner, "Come back next week to make more bread," he pleaded. "Your CHALLAH-DAY visit was just what I KNEADED." A better choice for "challah-day" celebrations is Susan Remick Topek's classic A Holiday for Noah (Kar-Ben, 1990).-Martha Link Yesowitch, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC
Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
April 1, 2013
Preschool-G While playing in the attic, Sammy and Sophie discover a crumpled paper covered in writing they don't understand. They pay Grandma Gert a retirement-home visit where she explains the writing is Yiddishmost likely a recipe belonging to her own grandma Bess. Grandma and her friends then take the kids into the kitchen, where they all bake what turns out to be challah, a type of bread served on the Jewish Sabbath. Ostrove's rhyming text brims with humor ( Grandma and Jenny were bending and stretching. / Benny was clapping, and Old Ned was kvetching ), and Scott's colorful, computer-enhanced illustrations reinforce the story's light tone, especially in the facial expressions and setting details. By the final spread even grumpy Ned is feeling upbeat, declaring, Your CHALLAH-DAY visit was just what I KNEADED. Although not defined, Yiddish terms are clear from the context, and a recipe is appended, making this a good selection for observant young families or religious preschools. Pair with Sue Hepker's This Is the Challah (2012).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)