French Toast Sundays

PreS-Gr 2—This delicate treatment of death, grief, healing, and the Jewish tradition of sitting shiva is effectively portrayed through the eyes of a child. Mina loves Sundays—she and her grandmother always make French toast together. But this Sunday, Mina's Aunt Jan is in the kitchen and the family is mourning the loss of her grandmother. As the week of mourning passes, and friends stop by with food and memories, Mina slowly joins her family, ultimately revealing that she knows how to make Grandma's French toast. She makes the recipe for her family and begins the process of healing. Spielman handles death, mourning, and sitting shiva with a light hand. She captures the point of view and emotions of a child as Mina goes from hiding in the tree to slowly rejoining the family when she is ready to express her grief. The text is concise and deftly uses dialogue to portray the bittersweet experience of sharing memories. The painterly illustrations capture the characters' grief and joy with both facial expressions and body language. Numerous illustrations are from Mina's perspective, drawing the viewer into both the story and Mina's emotions. The muted colors fit the mood and the mix of full-bleed spreads and single pages move the plot along effectively.