Shabbat

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In this upbeat picture book, Nerlove (Purim) invites young readers to a Jewish family's celebration of Shabbat, or the Sabbath. Each Friday, Mom and the children clean the house, set the table and bake the challah bread in preparation for their Sabbath dinner. At the table, Mom lights candles with a Sabbath blessing and Daddy says the Kiddush blessing over the wine. The warm and happy evening gives way to Saturday morning, when the whole family attends services at the synagogue, listening to the cantor and the rabbi. The family later ends the Sabbath with another candle lighting called Havdalah. Nerlove paints these sacred rituals as a joyful part of everyday Jewish life, not reserved for those who are especially religious. Her rhyming text keeps the mood light while also imparting information about Hebrew and Yiddish words and customs. Airy, pale-toned watercolors clearly depict a close-knit clan celebrating its faith. Jewish children familiar with these practices will take pride in seeing them in print, while those unfamiliar may be encouraged to start a new family tradition; and non-Jews will enjoy discovering elements of another religion. Ages 3-6. (Sept.)

Children's Literature - Judy Silverman

What a lovely book this is! In clear, rhythmic, almost-poetry, Nerlove shows a loving family celebrating the holiest day of the week. Everything is so clearly laid out that even non-Jews can enjoy this day-and everyone can understand why the Sabbath day is so important.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-As she did in Purim (1992), Passover (1989), and Hanukkah (1989, all Whitman), Nerlove follows a Jewish family as they observe a holiday. Starting with an explanation of why Shabbat is celebrated, readers see the family prepare on Friday, and then begin the observance at sundown with prayers and blessings before the evening meal, go to the synagogue and rest on Saturday, and end with the Havdalah ceremony. The mixed seating in the synagogue, along with the religious garb of the men, mark this as a traditional Conservative Jewish family. A page of endnotes explains the words and customs that are not defined in the text. Unfortunately, the text is awkward-sometimes it has a singsong rhyme and sometimes it does not scan at all. The watercolor illustrations do little to enhance the narrative. The blue eyes of the children often seem vacant and zombielike. A marginal addition for libraries with large Jewish collections.-Yapha Nussbaum Mason, Brentwood Lower School, Los Angeles