MIRI'S MOVING DAY

Moving stirs up big emotions for a young Jewish Chinese child.

Miri blinks back tears; the little one will miss Mah Mah and Yeh Yeh (Cantonese for paternal grandmother and Mandarin/Cantonese for paternal grandfather, respectively), who look after Miri while Mom and Dad are at work. Miri will also miss the stone Chinese lions outside the family’s apartment. But as everyone packs up the furniture, Yeh Yeh and Miri’s other grandfather, Zayde (Yiddish for grandfather), take Miri out for ice cream. Yeh Yeh gives Miri a beautiful mezuzah case and explains, “There are no stone lions to guard your new apartment building, but you can hang this mezuzah at your door.” Zayde supplies the scroll to place inside, and they all head to Miri’s new apartment. The whole family gathers as Zayde says the special blessing; then they hang the mezuzah above the front door. Later, Zayde has another surprise for Miri: a pair of small carved red lions. Miri is adorable, but other characters are less consistent in their depiction from page to page, and details in the text aren’t always fleshed out (Mah Mah and Yeh Yeh were Miri’s caregivers before, so what will happen in their new home?). Nonetheless, the family’s love is palpable, and readers will appreciate how all four grandparents work to honor Miri’s heritage—Yeh Yeh mentions learning about mezuzahs from Zayde, while Bubbe (Miri’s maternal grandmother) and Mah Mah both prepare Shabbat dinner.

A sweet story of a family blending traditions.