Chris Barash and Aviel Basil’s new pic­ture book is nar­rat­ed by a blind child who encoun­ters his sur­round­ings through touch, sound, smell, and taste. The author and illus­tra­tor con­vey that the narrator’s blind­ness does not keep him from enjoy­ing Shab­bat with the peo­ple in his life. Braille accom­pa­nies the print­ed words. The book’s unpre­ten­tious tone does not dimin­ish its inno­v­a­tive inclusivity.

The nar­ra­tor wakes up on Sat­ur­day and is excit­ed to dis­cov­er what this spe­cial day will hold. He hears his par­ents’ laugh­ter and the sound of fresh juice from the oranges he has picked splash­ing into a glass; he can ​“almost taste” the chal­lah that’s baking.

When the nar­ra­tor describes his inter­ac­tions with fam­i­ly mem­bers, he points out their spe­cif­ic fea­tures. His father’s voice drifts through the win­dow of their house, and he lat­er snores as he falls asleep on the couch. Gran arrives with a plate of pita, eggs, and ​“the dessert I love best.” Even the seag­ulls are includ­ed in the feast, ​“screech­ing their hopes for sug­ar cook­ie crumbs.” Sight­ed read­ers can enjoy Basil’s draw­ings, which com­bine real­ism and ele­ments of com­ic book art. Adults have dif­fer­ent skin tones and body shapes as well as styles. Sight­ed read­ers will also have the oppor­tu­ni­ty, per­haps for the first time, of touch­ing Braille’s pat­tern of dots and expe­ri­enc­ing a new way of writing.

The book is a tes­ta­ment to the strength of a boy’s char­ac­ter and his family’s love. It encour­ages read­ers to appre­ci­ate the world around them.