The Friday Nights of Nana

by Amy Hest, Claire A. Nivola (Illustrator)

Love and tradition intertwine in a tale which finds grandmother and grandchild making all the preparations for the Sabbath dinner, when the whole family will be gathered together.

Genres: Picture Books, Jewish, Childrens, Food, 1st Grade, Family

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2001

About the author

Amy Hest is a three-time winner of the Christopher Medal and winner of the BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Award. She lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Luisa Knight]

A charming story of a girl and her grandmother and how they prepare for the Sabbath.

Ages: 5 - 9

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[Gail Barge]

This a nice book to explain the Sabbath traditions of one Jewish family. I have found, in reading a few books with Jewish themes, that all the books are usually focused on a single tradition or holiday. The main character in a book is rarely a jewish child doing a normal everyday thing. I would like to find more books that have jewish characters that do not focus only on the sabbath or Chanukah. The relationship between the Nana and the young girl in the story was very lovely and would be good to connect with students own relationships with grandparents.

[Judy]

I've read and enjoyed several other books by Hest, but this one is pretty bland. It's told well, and the story is gentle, but I don't see it as being a favorite. Several books from the PJ library are on our shelves, but I we seem to prefer the folktales or the titles that focus on a Jewish holiday.

[Kelsi Bowman]

This is a great book that represents how love, tradition, and family intertwine. I think this would be a great book to share with students before grandparents day. This talks about how a different culture love and respects their Nana.

[Shelli]

This is a sweet story of a young girl who spends each Friday night at her grandmother’s house helping her in preparation for the Sabbath; which will be celebrated with the entire family. A touching tale of family togetherness.

[Kiyoko]

A story about weekly traditions for Friday night preparations and Sabbath. We enjoyed the illustrations. The story could inspire a family to create traditions of their own.
Gentle, low-key, but some nice details to discuss with your reader.
3 stars

[Kristin]

Cute Jewish story about a girl and her grandma getting ready for Shabbat

[Emily]

It's the illustrator Claire A. Nivola that I like so much about this book.

[Robin]

A lovely children's book about a grandmother and granddaughter getting ready for a special family meal.

[Rose Rosetree]

This is a sweet story, very old fashioned, about celebrating the Jewish Sabbath.

Amy Hest's book might particularly appeal to Jewish readers, and to grandmothers of any religion who aim to keep their cherished traditions alive.

* Long skirts for all the females.
* Everybody has a heck of a lot more time available than any real-life person you've likely met yet in 2023.
* Definitely no mobile phone is in sight.
* Behold the lovely dishes. (Wanna bet if they're dishwasher safe?)
* Applaud the perfectly set Sabbath table. And then take note how many place settings. How large is this family supposed to be?

Evidently, the entire extended family lives nearby.

HELLO. MIGHT I MENTION THIS AS WELL?

Noteworthy to this very different kind of American Jew, the one writing this Goodreads review:

In this story, good Jews can spend all day, cleaning and setting a perfect table.

* All the women wear dresses, long skirts.
* All hairstyles are lovely and fashionable -- assuming that this story is taking place in the old country, circa 1880.

Does that have to define what it means to be Jewish? I don't think so.

IN CONCLUSION

It's a rare treat to find an American picture book about any religion that doesn't involve celebrating Christmas; particularly lovely is to encounter a story that embraces religion in terms of spiritual celebration.

Whenever I find such books, it does warm my heart. Even those of us who are not observant as Jews, even those of us who are spiritual but not religious -- we can harbor the deepest love for God. Others may not notice if we show that love through tzedakah, social justice, and more. (See the COMMENT below.)

However, the warmth I feel from this particular book is on the tepid side. Although the food at this Sabbath meal does smell good.

[Shoshanna]

This is making me cry. Not super heavy on plot, but wonderful on vibes. I want this kind of heimishkeit so badly. It's cold and snowy and windy outside but at Nana's house, it's Shabbos, which is a time and a place. So sweet. So warm.

[Denicemarcell]

very sweet, location not stated but somewhere it snows.

[MaryJo]

I love the "extra" story told by the lovely illustrations

[enlam]

3.5

The illustrations and story are very homey.

[Krista]

A warm comforting read of a Jewish family preparing and celebrating their Sabbath.