The Babka Sisters

by Lesléa Newman, Tika and Tata Bobokhidze (Illustrator)

Overview

The great babka bake-off is on! Esther and Hester’s new neighbor, Sylvester, will gladly be their babka tester, and decide which sister’s Babka is the best. With cat Lester and dog Chester, the new friends enjoy a delicious Shabbat.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728445564
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/02/2023
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.88(w) x 9.13(h) x 0.31(d)
Age Range:	7 - 8 Years

About the Author

Leslea Newman has created 80 books for readers of all ages. Her awards include two National Jewish Book Awards, the Massachusetts Book Award, and the Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award. She lives in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

Tika and Tata Bobokhidze are sisters—like the Babka Sisters! They live in the country of Georgia, and both have a passion for drawing. Their illustrations include many different techniques, using various colors and styles. Their work combines digital medium and hand-drawn textures.

Editorial Reviews

2023-02-08
Two Jewish siblings compete for the title of best babka baker.

Esther and Hester, loving, light-skinned sisters who live next door to each other, notice a new neighbor across the street, and each decides to bake him a babka for Shabbat. They mix and stir and spread, filling their kitchens with tantalizing aromas, each certain that it is their baking that will bring the greatest happiness. Sylvester, their light-skinned neighbor, agrees to be the taste tester, and slices are cut and served. The verdict is announced grandly—one shvester (Yiddish for sister) bakes the best CHOCOLATE babka, and the other shvester bakes the best CINNAMON babka. They then sit down to enjoy a Shabbat dinner, and the two sisters go home with a new challenge—KUGEL! Newman’s little culinary romp is infectiously happy and fun to read aloud with all the rhyming names. Sister Esther has a cat named Lester, and sister Hester has a dog named Chester. The illustrations are bright and colorful, with patterned clothing, wallpaper, and kitchen tiles adding to the folksy Eastern European setting. Detailed instructions for baking a babka, either chocolate or cinnamon, are included. The steps are many; the results are delicious.

Entertaining, lighthearted, and yummy. (glossary) (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews

"A fun, colorful story that inspires baking and friendship. Reviewer Rating: 5" —Children's Literature

From the Publisher