Much Much Better

In this retelling of a traditional Jewish tale, Shlomo and his wife Miriam live in a tidy house in the ancient city of Baghdad. One Sabbath, an elderly stranger comes to their door and joins Shlomo and Miriam for the evening. At the end of a delicious meal, the old stranger says a strange thing: "May Hashem [God] bless you and make your home much, much better." The stranger explains that the home would be better with a dirty tablecloth, books out of place, and a mess on the floor. And then he departs, leaving his hosts to puzzle over his words. Soon Shlomo and Miriam are too busy to wonder about their mysterious visitor; they have a baby boy, Yitzchak, who gets busy making the messes that babies make. The stranger shows up again, just in time for another Sabbath. As he looks around the house, Shlomo and Miriam look, too. They see their transformed home through the stranger's eyes and now his words make sense to them: Their home is much, much better with their baby. Colorful paintings depict a peaceful Baghdad in a palette that combines jewel-toned interiors and muted exteriors to evoke another time and place. The illustrations also offer small, delightful rewards. The dinner table, for example, is set with Middle Eastern flatbread. Baby Yitzhak has one bootie on his foot and one missing (as babies often do!)—and the missing bootie shows up, abandoned, on a different page. This tale is aimed at a religious Jewish readership but can be enjoyed, with help from a brief glossary, by all. However, a "Note to Reader" that explains the mysterious stranger is Elijah the Prophet, who will announce the coming of the Messiah, may be off-putting to some adults and confusing to children.