BUEN SHABAT, SHABBAT SHALOM

A Sephardic family celebrates the Sabbath in this bilingual English/Ladino board book.

It’s Friday night, and the family is getting ready for Shabbat. The text is mostly in English with a few italicized Ladino words and phrases, their meaning easily understood by the context, and a recurring “Buen Shabat, Shabbat Shalom!” on every double-page spread. While the mother prepares the meal, the father and children set the table. It is now time to “light the candles, las kandelas.” The mother does so with no covering on her head, indicating a comfort with a bending of some of the traditions. As the father holds an infant in his arms they sing some songs. When it is time to bless the wine and braided challah bread, the infant is settled in a highchair, and the mother brings the challah to the table. An illustration of the family group within a circle, emphasizing their togetherness, is accompanied by: “Bless the family, la famiya. / Enjoy the food, la komida.” In the last spread, the family is gathered close around the table, “Peace for all, para todos!” What sets this book apart is the use of Ladino, a Spanish-derived language of the Jewish Diaspora not widely spoken worldwide.

Families with a Sephardic background will particularly appreciate this book.