It's Friday and little Ruby gets to spend the day with her great-grandma, Tata. Together, they go for a walk with Ruby's grandma, Yaya. They take a nap. They read books. The whole family gathers for Shabbat dinner and Ruby gets to eat a delicious piece of challah bread. Best of all, throughout the day, Tata tells Ruby funny, fantastical stories that come from her dreams, in which she soars on a giant blueberry bird, or dances right on top of the dinner table. In this heartwarming tale that spans four generations of Jewish women, acclaimed author-illustrator duo Julie Salamon and Jill Weber celebrate family traditions, the enduring love between a girl and her great-grandma and the everlasting power of stories.

The illustrations throughout this really stood out, particularly on the pages with Tata's stories from her dreams. It really helped us to picture the words and talk more about what was happening and our own dreams, too! We loved the piece at the end of the book, which told us more about Shabbat - it was nicely explained so that we could all understand the occasion and significance. It is much appreciated as we are all learning here. Most of all, we loved the relationship between Ruby, Tata, and Yaya. Their bond is so pure and innocent and just precious to discover. I think it may be the first book we've read featuring great-grandparents, too. This is a great book to explore generations of families, an incredible family bond as well as learning about Shabbat and how Jewish people celebrate.

We turn now to the weekly celebration of Shabbat. The picture book follows Ruby as her family come together to celebrate. It centres around family connections and histories, the value of the stories of our elders and the coming together for Shabbat dinner. It's one of the only stories I've seen featuring a Great Grandparent, which was lovely to see. Both of these books contain a page at the back expanding on the meaning of the celebration along with some of the ways the occasions are experienced.