Illustrated by Cecily Lang
Albert Whitman
Ages 4–8, 40 pages
ISBN 978-0807503768
Summary
“Are you ready for Shabbat, Annie?” her brother asks.
“Not yet,” Annie replies.
Her mother repeats the question. Then her father, “Are you ready for Shabbat, Annie?”
“Just about,” Annie answers them. “Almost.”
When will Annie be ready for Shabbat?
Throughout Annie’s story of her family’s Shabbat are other Shabbat tales, one a story of the “hidden Jews” of fifteenth century Spain, who had to hide their celebration of Shabbat or risk losing their lives.
Honors
Booklist’s Top Ten Religion Books for Youth 1998
Reviews
A warm story captures the essence of the Jewish Sabbath. In a first-person narrative that contains both wonder and down-to-earth fun, Annie describes what her household is like from sundown on Friday to Saturday night when the first three stars appear in the sky.
– Booklist, starred review
Brimming with facts and sprinkled with Hebrew terms, Lamstein’s text explores such essential symbols of the day as the Torah, challah and Shabbat candles, and relays the ancient stories of their origins.
– Publisher’s Weekly
What distinguishes this book from other descriptions of cultural experience is the clear sense of episode and the fact that individual characters replace the more usual generic representation.
– Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books
Should you ever feel frazzled, sit down and read Annie’s Shabbat.
– Jewish Book World
Resources
Click here for a downloadable classroom guide for Annie’s Shabbat. – Created by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
Books for Jewish Children and Teens: A JPS Guide, Linda R. Silver, Jewish Publication Society, New York, 2010.