Review: Sadie's Shabbat Stories
Review: Sadie's Shabbat Stories by Melissa Stoller, illustrated by Lisa Goldberg Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili Buy at Bookshop.org In Sadie’s Shabbat Stories , author Stoller has crafted a sweet story about the three Judaic items that are used by Sadie’s grandmother, her Nana, on Shabbat: “silver candlesticks, a sacred kiddush cup full of wine or grape juice, and a challah cover to honor the special bread.” At each point of use on this Friday night, young Sadie asks her grandmother to tell her the history behind each item. A melodious refrain in the text has Sadie envisioning her ancestors after Nana relates each of the three stories and ably ties the past to the present for the reader. After Sadie hears all of these stories, she tells her own Shabbat story which includes the three aforementioned objects as well as a Star of David pendant which Sadie has gifted to Nana. Eventually, the whole book comes full circle with Sadie as a grandmother he