Every Friday, Goldie Simcha, a young city dweller, begins a pot of her grandmother’s cholent to celebrate Shabbat. As this traditional Sabbath-day dish simmers all night and through Saturday, the delicious smells of the stew waft throughout Goldie’s apartment building. Every Saturday evening, her neighbors — Mr. Moon, the Santiagos, the Omars, and Miss Bellagoli — join Goldie to share the dish and fellowship. Though her neighbors have differing views on what makes Goldie’s cholent so delicious, Goldie knows it’s the memory of the special time together with her family on the Sabbath that makes the cholent so delicious to her. When Goldie is sick one Friday and cannot make the cholent, all of her neighbors contribute traditional dishes from their native countries that echo the ingredients in Goldie’s cholent. In the end, all of the ingredients of the cholent are present at the table. Colorful and expressive art warmly portrays the diverse ethnicities of this community in this picture book that shows Jewish tradition in contemporary life. (Ages 3–7)

Celebrate Shabbat, community, and diverse traditions with this lyrical tale, illustrated with a lively and whimsical touch.

When Goldie Simcha doesn’t joyfully throw open her door to welcome everyone in to her apartment for a meal of her famous cholent, her neighbors wonder what could be wrong. Little Lali Omar knocks on the door to 5-A, only to learn that Goldie was feeling too sick on Friday to cook, and everyone knows you can’t make cholent in a hurry, right away, chik chak! But it just isn’t Shabbat without cholent. What can her neighbors do to save the day? In an uplifting story that warms more than your heart, Chik Chak Shabbat offers a cholent recipe that keeps Goldie’s sharing spirit alive.