The unseen narrator, a Jewish girl in New York City, learns interesting facts about members of her far-flung family from the neckties they send to her father — one of which he always chooses to wear on Shabbat. And though these relatives live around the world and speak many languages, from Zulu to Farsi, on Shabbat they all recite the same blessings in Hebrew, the universal language of the Jewish people — another bond they share. There is a large photograph of each of the ten different “family ties” that are featured. Recommended for ages 3 – 7.
Susan Kantor was a senior writer/editor for Girl Scouts of the USA, a children’s book editor, and a past judge for the National Jewish Book Awards in the illustrated children’s book category. She is a writer and a docent at the Rubin Museum in New York City, where she leads public and private tours.