All children love to cook, and this book tells of Mindy’s first attempt at baking challah on her own, after calling her Bubby for the recipe. Mindy gets distracted from focusing on her Bubby’s directions, and she keeps adding more yeast — just in case. The dough rises higher and higher, going from bowl to sink to toy box, and finally taking over whole house. Thank goodness the whole episode was just a dream. The challah was baked perfectly and is served to her family for Shabbat.
The book has a singsong quality, with each two lines ending in rhyme. The pictures are bright and the expressions on Mindy’s face help move the story along for non-readers. The book’s goal, according to the publisher, is to teach children the benefits of following directions so that they can keep the mitzvot. In that vein, it would have been preferable if Mindy’s Bubby had involved her in the “fix-it” process. That way she could have actively participated in the learning experience, rather than just having her problem magically solved by a grown-up in her dream.
This book will certainly appeal to Jewish families who are looking to teach their children about mitzvot and beginning to involve them in the process of performing mitzvot themselves. For ages 4 – 8.