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Around the Shabbos Table

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Product Code: 9781929628445

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Descriptions

One by one, Tova Leiba's siblings find fault with their seats at the Shabbos (Jewish Sabbath) dinner table-too near to the wall, too-loose cushion stuffing, too close to the messy baby. Tova Leiba cheerfully trades chairs with each brother or sister and finds something to enjoy about every spot. By the end of the evening, the other children have caught on to her positive attitude and end up sharing chairs and hugging. The story illustrates the biblical proverb, "To a good-hearted person, life's a constant celebration." The internal logic of the tale is sacrificed somewhat to make this point (e.g., Why are the other children never reprimanded for their constant complaining?), but Tova Leiba's joyful personality carries readers past such concerns. However, the girl's rhyming refrain, "Here or there, in any chair, I'll be happy anywhere," remains out of place in an otherwise realistic prose narrative. Binus's dynamic color illustrations add a great deal of life to a text that could otherwise be staid and preachy. The characters' faces and body language sing with strong emotions, and there is a surprising amount of movement for a story that takes place at the dinner table. A short glossary defines Jewish terminology