BUBBE AND BART'S MATZOH BALL MAYHEM

Matzoh balls go flying across the kitchen when the soup pot boils over, propelling Bubbe and her beloved dog, Bart, into a game of chase and catch.

Shabbat will soon be here, and Bubbe is preparing for the celebratory meal with her family. But as the traditional soup burbles on the stovetop, she suddenly hears “a weird K-KNOCK” and realizes the pot is boiling over—and her matzoh balls are jumping out of the bubbling soup. Bart is ready to help by fetching, catching, and eating the first few. Chaos overtakes the kitchen, but together Bubbe and Bart retrieve as many escaped matzoh balls as possible, using everything from a baseball mitt to an umbrella, even performing as stage magicians “Bubbe and the Great Bartini.” The soup settles down to a simmer, and the cleaning and sprucing up commence before Bubbe and Bart welcome the family at their Shabbat table. Children can count the matzoh balls from one to seven (seven, for the seventh day of rest) careening around the room and finally back in the pot. The silliness—a little reminiscent of Strega Nona’s pasta pot—is recounted in a rhyming text; though not consistently set in verse form, it scans and reads aloud well. Active cartoon illustrations of a rambunctious pooch and a hip grandmother in jeans and Converse high-tops add to the pandemonium. Bubbe presents White, as does most of her family, though two members present East Asian.

This modern-day Jewish tall tale makes for an unconventional, fun Shabbat read-aloud.