With a Needle and Thread: A Jewish Folktale from Cuba

“With a Needle & Thread: A Jewish Folktale from Cuba” by Jennifer Stempel, illustrated by Libi Axelrod, tells the beautiful story of a little girl, Romi, and her grandmother. Their connection is strong and they find warmth in being together. Romi’s grandmother is the town seamstress, and as the story goes on, one of Romi’s dresses is turned into a beautiful blanket that a baby wears for his bris (circumcision ceremony). As time passes, there is no longer a need for the baby’s blanket, but through the wonderful concept of tradition, Romi has the idea to turn the blanket into a tallis (prayer shawl) for a Bar Mitzvah boy. The tallis eventually becomes part of a wedding chuppah (canopy), which becomes part of a tablecloth.

The beauty of tradition is enduring, and seeing it come to life through the engaging illustrations in this book makes the story all that much more appealing. It is also of note that the back matter contains history about the Jewish community of Cuba, along with a glossary of terms used in the story, and a recipe made within the pages.