Sadie and Ori and the Blue Blanket

September 28, 2015
This bittersweet addition to the Sadie and Ori series name-checks several Jewish holidays as it traces the siblings’ changing relationship with their grandmother. The blue blanket of the title is a “together blanket” that Grandma knits when Sadie is born—big enough for them to read under, dress a snowman with during Hanukkah, or hang from a sukkah during Sukkoth. Both Korngold and Fortenberry are attentive to all that Grandma does for Sadie and Ori, making it all the more poignant when they return the favor as Grandma’s physical and mental capabilities begin to diminish. Ages 2–6.

August 1, 2015
It would be easy to call this picture book two stories in one, but that would be glib and irresponsibly reductive. This picture book is a guide to the Jewish holidays (complete with directions for making raisin challah on Rosh Hashanah), and it's a story about a grandmother who knits the titular blue blanket for her grandchildren. But this is really just one book. It's a story about the passage of time. After a number of holidays have gone by, Ori asks, "Why can't you play with us like you used to?" Grandma says: "That is part of growing older. I can still sit down on the floor, but I can't get back up." Grandma is laughing, but some readers will find the story unbearably sad. Soon, she can't remember places or names. Some people may also consider the book sentimental. When Grandma cuddles under her blue blanket with the children, she calls it their "Together Blanket," and the words appear in bold, blue letters whenever mentioned in the text. The story also moves quite slowly, dwelling on the details of each holiday, which is apt in a book about time but often frustrating. Still, it's hard not to be charmed by Fortenberry's simple, symmetrical paintings, and it's hard not to be moved when Sadie and Ori read Grandma the stories she once told them. Korngold and Fortenberry move beyond sentimentality to real sentiment. (Picture book. 4-8)

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