Challah, Challah for You and Me

"Fol­low­ing their 2022 pub­li­ca­tion of the charm­ing book Apples, Apples, All Year Round, which was also aimed at preschool­ers, Bar­bara Bietz and June Sobel are now offer­ing us a sweet look at chal­lah, the bread most peo­ple asso­ciate with Jew­ish life and Shab­bat cel­e­bra­tions. The authors rein­force these asso­ci­a­tions through live­ly text, lilt­ing rhythm and rhyme, and col­or­ful art depict­ing friend­ly ani­mals, deli­cious treats, Shab­bat close­ness, and a vari­ety of Juda­ic symbols.

All the salient fea­tures of chal­lah are includ­ed: its squishi­ness, sweet­ness, warmth, col­or, and, most impor­tant, its asso­ci­a­tion with rit­u­al and the par­tic­i­pa­tion of car­ing fam­i­ly mem­bers and friends. These details pro­vide read­ers and lis­ten­ers alike with a sense of com­fort and joy.

In a short after­word, the authors explain the bless­ings on the chal­lah and remind us to be grate­ful for the bread we eat every day—to appre­ci­ate the sat­is­fac­tion of sit­ting around the table and shar­ing chal­lah with fam­i­ly on any occa­sion at all."—Jewish Book Council

"Rhymed text and a host of North American woodland animals celebrate the tastiness of different kinds of challah: traditional braided challah for Shabbat, round for the New Year, rainbow, heart shaped. Whatever the style or recipe, it’s noted that the leftovers are delicious, and the best thing to do with challah is to share it with family and friends.

This will be a fun family book for younger readers; preschools and libraries serving Jewish patrons will appreciate it. Bold print and vivid illustrations stand out on clean backgrounds." —Association of Jewish Libraries