On Friday Afternoon

Praise

Young Leelee and her dog, Pickles, prepare for Shabbat one busy Friday afternoon.
With the spiraling structure of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (1985), the book follows the duo from one activity to the next. Leelee and Pickles must clean up the crumbs they dropped while eating challah, which leads to them finding loose change under the couch. They decide to donate the money, but the tzedakah boxes are full, so Leelee empties out a flowerpot to use instead. Onomatopoeic interjections, encouraging a read-aloud experience, are included throughout, beginning with the simple clink of a coin and escalating to the “Pah! Bah-bah! Rah!” of a trombone that Leelee finds when searching for a shoe. This discovery leads, naturally, to a parade through the street, with Leelee and Pickles inviting the neighbors and friends they meet home for dinner. The penultimate spread calms both characters and readers with the sights and sounds of candle-lighting before the Shabbat meal begins. Expressive cartoon illustrations depict a brown-haired, olive-skinned Jewish family enjoying a loving, if hectic, afternoon. A close-up of detritus under the couch and a long shot of a mother putting on earrings in a mostly tidy house convey the dynamism of the scene; Leelee’s curly pigtails bring an enormous energy all their own. Repetition and mounting lists create a propulsive rhythm as sunset grows nearer. Leelee’s community is a diverse one.
Warm and lovely. (author’s note)
—Kirkus Reviews


Sundown is only a few hours away, and young Leelee and dog Pickles are theoretically helping their family prepare for Shabbat. Animation-style digital artwork by Halberstadt ([em]A Basket Full of Figs[/em]) tells a different story, however. As the pair moves from room to room, they leave a mess in their wake—crumbs from taste-tested challah rolls, and detritus around a newly decorated tzedakah container. But between the time crunch and the anticipation (soon, “there are only ten minutes until candle lighting”), arriving guests—led into the house via procession by Leelee and Pickles—immediately lend a hand. “A cousin adds flavorful food to the table…. Friends dig up extra chairs, plates, and glasses…. Mom watches over the roast and the kugel, and everyone watches the clock,” writes Babay (The Incredible Shrinking Lunchroom). At last, sundown arrives, and with Leelee at her side, Mom strikes a match to light the Shabbat candles, and text wishes “Shabbat Shalom.” While the reason why all the preparations must be completed by sundown is never fully explained, the eager-eyed characters, portrayed with various skin tones, sweetly convey gifts of shared ritual, connection, and gratitude. An author’s note concludes. Ages 5–8.
—Publishers Weekly


A girl and her furry sidekick help prepare for Shabbat dinner—in their own way. While helping to clean the house, Leelee and her dog, Pickles, discover items they wish to donate; they empty a flower pot and dresser drawers for tzedakah, a mitzvah (or charitable act) involving donating to those in need. Their other efforts to celebrate the spirit of Shabbat end with similar counterintuitive results. In the end, everyone pitches in to make dinner a success in this upbeat picture book.
—Foreword Reviews


It’s Friday afternoon, school is out, and Mom is baking apple tarts and watching the chicken soup bubble. The whole house is buzzing in preparation for Shabbat, a traditional Jewish day of rest. The celebration begins at sunset on Friday evening and ends at sunset on Saturday evening. During Shabbat, people do good things. Donations are given, items borrowed are returned, and families and neighbors get together to share a meal. LeeLee and her dog, Pickles, are helping to get ready for Shabbat by taste-testing the dinner rolls and cleaning the sofa under the cushions. Their findings of nickels and quarters will go into the gifts her parents share with those in need. Getting baths, sorting clothes to find something to wear, and discovering missing items for everyone adds to the chaos but all will be clean and ready for the candle lighting at sunset. This delightful picture book deserves a spot in every home, whether Jewish or not. Sharing the traditions of the Jewish family, as seen through the eyes of a child, is the best way to make sure everyone understands the meaning of these activities. The text, while simple, uses common Jewish words. The spacing between text and illustration is balanced. This is a book to treasure and to share with family and friends.
—Children’s Literature