Room for the Baby

PreS-Gr 3–From the endpapers featuring quilt squares with menorahs, apples and honey, onesies, yarn and knitting needles, teddy bears, and spools of red thread with needles, readers will know they are in for a multilayered story. While the young narrator and his father are buttering their Passover matzos, Mom announces that she is having a baby. But where will the baby sleep? The apartment is crowded and the spare room–the sewing room–is filled with old sheets, sweaters, pajamas, and cloth collected over the years from neighbors. So from Passover through Rosh Hashanah to Simhat Torah, and on to Hanukkah, Mom tears, cuts, and stitches diapers, sleepers, onesies, blankets, caps, and mittens, cleaning out the sewing room and preparing for the infant while showing neighbors how to bring new life to old items. On the third night of Hanukkah, Lily is born and big brother and the neighbors bring her gifts created from hand-me-downs and leftover materials. Brightly colored, collagelike illustrations with detailed patterns accompany the lively text, delivering the reuse, recycle, repurpose theme. That the family is Jewish and the neighborhood diverse add texture to the story in a completely natural fashion.–Sharon Grover, Hedberg Public Library, Janesville, WI