A young girl spends the day helping her grandmother prepare to host a large family gathering for Shabbat dinner. In Jennie’s detailed description of the preparations, a warm portrait of the special relationship between the grandchild and her grandmother emerges. (“Nana washes the good china and irons all the wrinkles in her lace tablecloth. I fold napkins with lace borders.”) Delicate watercolor illustrations create the sense of invitation right into this loving home. (Ages 4–7)

A beautifully illustrated, reassuring table of ritual and family bonding. Young Jennie has Friday off school to help her grandmother prepare for the family meal before the Sabbath. Jennie and Nana have their breakfast and then start work: polishing the candlesticks, ironing the tablecloth and braiding the dough for challah bread. Then they put on their pretty Sabbath dresses while the snow falls outside, and wait for Jennie's parents and baby brother to arrive with the rest of the family. Now Jennie's best time begins. Full of gorgeous colours and absorbing detail, this story portrays the rich pattern of love and tradition woven into the special relationship between a child and a grandparent.