Alte Zachen / Old Things

Benjy and his Bubbe Rosa are at odds in Hanaor (Alex and Alex) and debut creator Phillips's expansive graphic novel. "You young people are so lazy.... You young people are always very rude," Bubbe says whenever Benjy does something she considers to be illogical, as when he brings his own bags with them to grocery shop for Shabbat dinner ("You don't need bags. They give you bags"). Bubbe's ire continues; she lashes out at a grocery clerk she deems skimpily dressed, and tells Benjy, "you don't even know what it means to be Jewish." As the pair continue their shopping, making their way from Brooklyn to the Upper West Side and back again, Bubbe revisits memories from her past, including trauma from Nazi persecution and heartbreak over a road-not-taken romance. Softly lined watercolor art portrays a moving narrative that alternates between grayscale present-day spreads and Bubbe's past in full color. Benjy is tender, patient, and conciliatory, and Bubbe takes comfort in knowing he's her anchor when her memories or their surroundings overwhelm. Even as Benjy and Bubbe's worldviews clash, the Yiddish-peppered telling renders a familial bond that is at once mercurial and unshakable. Ages 12-up. (Sept.)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 6 Up--Rosa, known to her grandson Benji as Bubbe, and the boy make their rounds throughout New York City to pick up groceries for dinner, from gefilte fish and brisket to challah and babka. As they both traverse the city by foot, subway, and ride app, there are references to kosher food, the Holocaust, and past gender norms. New York is depicted with a diverse population. Rosa's home and the city at large are colored in tans, grays, and dreary blues. Every so often she will experience a vision from her memory rendered in brighter colors, regardless of whether the experience was good or bad. A gentle subplot revolves around a guy who never stopped carrying a torch for Rosa. Her squabbles with strangers or Benji range from humorous to inappropriate, but people tend to extend grace and not take her remarks personally. This is a book with a lot to say about how we hold on to the past, express gratitude for the present, and support people with experiences beyond our own. Some of its most important observations take place in wordless moments for readers to notice and interpret on their own. Back matter includes a glossary of Yiddish terms used in the book. VERDICT Taking a walk with Rosa and Benji just might change how readers see the world and everyone's place in it. Highly recommended for graphic novel collections.--Thomas Maluck

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

''To outsiders, Benji's Bubbe is just a crabby old lady. To the boy, and eventually to us, she becomes a vulnerable figure deserving of great tenderness. "Alte Zachen" is less ambitious and searing than Art Spiegelman's "Maus," but like that graphic novel it expands our understanding of the gulf that can exist between generations, particularly those divided by catastrophe." - Wall Street Journal

"The graphic novel format brilliantly allows us to see Bubbe in both her present and her past, allowing the reader to better understand her in all her cranky, opinionated grandeur, along with her sweet, caring grandson, Benji. A wonderful intergenerational story about the value of old things." - Marissa Moss, Children's Book Author & Illustrator

"Phillips's del-i-cate col-ors and fine details illus-trate the rich-ness of city life. Two sis-ters argu-ing on a train, a cou-ple danc-ing togeth-er, and immi-grants' first view of the Stat-ue of Lib-er-ty — these are all images that Bubbe con-jures while look-ing back over the years. In one full-col-or scene that inte-grates past and present, she comes to terms with the inevitabil-i-ty of change. As the book ends, with grand-moth-er and grand-son against a New York City sky-line, new-ness does not seem so threat-en-ing, after all." - Jewish Book Council

''Compelling and evocative, Alte Zachen is an eloquent intergenerational story that will resonate with and enlighten readers of all ages." - Celebrate Picture Books

''A tour de force. On behalf of all the #Bubbes and #Benjis thank you @cicadabooks for such a joyful and redemptive picture book.'' - Youth Libraries Group, UK

''Exploring themes of migration, alienation, loss, perception and identity, this is both an important book and a window into our children's futures and our parents' pasts." - School Reading List, UK

''For a first graphic novel, Alte Zachen is a true success. This is award-winning storytelling.'' - Books for Keeps, UK