Chik Chak Shabbat

PreS-Gr 3—This charming story is a celebration of multicultural America and friendship. Every Friday afternoon, following her grandmother's weekly tradition, Goldie Simcha (simcha means celebration)—now a young woman living on her own—combines vegetables, dried beans, and barley in a large pot of broth that sits simmering on the stove through Friday night and Saturday until the delicious smell tells her and the four families who live on the floors beneath her that the cholent is ready to eat. Then all the neighbors join Goldie at her large table, each one suggesting which ingredient makes the weekly stew so delicious. But Goldie says, "'For me,the taste of cholent is … Shabbat.'" And all agree that it cannot be made in a hurry. Goldie's neighbors have interests as diverse as their ethnicities—novelist, tuba player, collector of china cups—and the foods they bring to Goldie's table on Shabbat when she feels too ill to cook—pizza, beans and rice, potato curry, and Korean barley tea—combine with their concern for their friend to make a wonderful meal even more special than usual. Brooker brings this sweet story to life with full-page, oil-painted, cartoon-style illustrations heavily detailed with clipped-out magazine photos: tableware; cleverly pieced patterned paper clothing; food and dishes. She has infused each character with distinct personality and presents them as a large, caring family, strengthened by their differences, enjoying the Sabbath together. A recipe for cholent is included.—Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH