Lotty's Lace Tablecloth: Jewish Heirloom Stories

Charming illustrations bring to life a by-gone era, as Nina tells the story of her family's Sabbath lace tablecloth, which has been handed down from generation to generation. In Vienna, Austria, her great-great-great grandmother, Lotty Gross, a celebrated lace maker, made a beautiful lace tablecloth to welcome the Sabbath Queen to her home on Shabbat. Nina tells what happened when the Empress Elizabeth saw the exquisite tablecloth and insisted on buying it to use at her palace receptions. Once she found out the tablecloth's importance to Lotty, the Empress proved to have a heart. She sent it to Lotty to use it every weekend, and left it to Lotty in her will when she died. Now Nina's grandmother has given Nina's mother the tablecloth, and they have told Nina that someday it will be given to her. First in a new series from Gefen of Jewish Heirloom Stories, this includes space at the end for young readers to write in information about Shabbat heirlooms they have at their own homes, and to paste in photos of them. They will be encouraged to find out about such heirlooms as candlesticks or Kiddush cups from their parents and grandparents, and will learn their family's history in this way. Lehman-Wilzig, the Israeli author of Tasty Bible Stories and Keeping the Promise, emphasizes in a gentle, non-preachy way the importance of honoring the Sabbath, as well as the importance of appreciating and retaining family history. This is a lovely addition to Shabbat stories for Jewish libraries, and would make a nice gift for children and grandchildren. Ages 6-10. Reviewed by Anne Dublin

This heart-warming and meaningful story will appeal to children, mainly girls ages 7 - 10 years of age. It begins with Nina, a girl of about 7-8 years of age, who proudly announces that her mother has inherited a family heirloom, a lace tablecloth made by her great, great, great Grandma Lotty. Nina is pleased to share that this lovely item had once belonged to the Empress Elizabeth of Austria. Nina recounts the history of how her great, great, great Grandma Lotty had become a lace maker and made the lace tablecloth. She lets us know its significance: it was used for Shabbat, to honor the Sabbath Queen on Friday nights. The story is beautifully illustrated in colorful and striking detail by Ksenia Topaz . The artistic and realistic images tremendously enhance the enjoyment of the story. The author, Tami Lehman-Wilzig, reveals how Lotty Gross, the daughter of a poor Jewish family, had hopes of making a name for herself. She ends up becoming a famous lace maker in Vienna. Her intricate patterns and hand made lace work had come to the attention of Empress Elizabeth. She fell in love with the lace tablecloth displayed in the window of Lotty's shop. Lotty kept the tablecloth on display but it was used every Friday night to welcome the Sabbath Queen. There is a mystery surrounding the lace tablecloth which involves a misunderstanding between Empress Elizabeth and Lotty. The puzzle is resolved in a most satisfactory and pleasing manner which makes for a very pleasant ending to this very charming book. Most highly recommended. Another recommended book for children by the same author isMayer Aaron Levi and His Lemon Tree. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]