Buba Leah and Her Paper Children

Plot

With its Fiddler on the Roof setting and unabashedly sentimental story line, this warmly evocative tale presents a glimpse of the Jewish immigrant experience. Chava is curious about her next-door neighbor and great-aunt, Buba Leah. She's often heard her say how she exchanged her offspring for "paper children." When Chava finally musters her courage to ask about them, she finds they aren't actual children, but the letters written to Buba Leah by her children in America. One day a letter arrives containing two tickets--one for Buba Leah and one for Chava--and, in a poignant finale, the two depart for a new life. Chava's parents are left with Buba Leah's empty wooden box, which they will soon fill with their own "paper children." Ross's simple story is as satisfying as Sabbath challah, and Morgan's earthy illustrations render village life and the special bonds between family members in an affectionate light. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-- Every time the postman comes to Buba Leah's village, she receives a special letter from her children in America. She calls these letters her ``paper children,'' and saves them in a special wooden box. One day a letter arrives that feels different--for good reason. Inside are two tickets to America, one for Buba Leah and one for Chava, her grandniece who will care for the elderly woman during the long journey. Their departure is bittersweet and poignant, the excitement of going to America tempered by the fact that Chava's parents remain in the old country, perhaps awaiting their tickets. The story has an Old World charm and conveys a sense of strong, caring, intergenerational family relationships. The celebration of the Sabbath is described in loving detail; full-color realistic illustrations of the characters and village life add dimension.