Friday is my favorite night of the week because Friday night is Shabbos and Shabbos is my special time with Bubbe.
      Before it gets dark, I run across the street to Bubbe's apartment.
      "Shabbat shalom, shayneh maideleh," Bubbe says. That means, "Good Sabbath, beautiful girl".
Then Bubbe kisses my face and leaves red lipstick on my cheek that I wipe off with the back of my hand.
     Bubbe's house is sparkling clean. I help her set the table. Before I put silverware out, I rub each piece with a cloth so it shines.
      Bubbe nods, pleased. "Everyone who wants to eat has to help out a little. Remember that."
      Then she lights the two white candles in her shiny candlesticks. We both make three circles with our hands to gather in the Shabbos light, and we say the special Shabbos prayer together before we sit down to eat.
       "Always eat when you're hungry. Remember that," Bubbe says.
      I laugh. "Bubbe, it would be silly to eat if I wasn't hungry," I say.
      Bubbe puts a bowl of soup down in front of me and says, "Ess a bissl." That means eat a little, but I eat a lot because Bubbe makes the best chicken soup in the whole wide world...."
 
© 1996 Lesléa Newman

 

Reviews - Remember That

"The warmth of the family, the respect for aging, and the love between generations is beautifully presented...Even though the grandmother's health fails, her spirit and contentment with life abounds. This is not a sad story at all, but one that faces life's cycles and is full of acceptance." --Dimensions of Early Childhood

"...leaves the reader with a warm, happy feeling." --School Library Journal

"A touching story of a child's loving relationship with her grandmother. Bubbe is the model grandmother of any ethnicity--wise, kindly and loving." --Jewish News

"There are messages aplenty in Lesléa Newman's fond Remember That, engagingly illustrated by Karen Ritz as Bubbe instructs her grandchild in Jewish tradition...There is another, more poignant message as Bubbe moves from living alone to her daughter's house--and then to a nursing home. But although some things must change, some never do--like the love between a granddaughter and her Bubbe." --The New York Times Book Review