Sadie and Ori and the Blue Blanket - Hardcover

Rabbi Jamie S. Korngold received ordination from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and is the founder and spiritual leader of the Adventure Rabbi Program. She lives in Boulder, Colorado with her two daughters, Sadie and Ori.

Julie Fortenberry is an abstract painter and a children's book illustrator. She has a Master of Fine Arts from Hunter College in New York, and lives in Philadelphia.

"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." -- Publisher's Weekly

"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." -- Kirkus Reviews

"This latest book in the 'Sadie and Ori' series is a sweet and poignant look at the relationship between a grandmother and her grandchildren over the years. Grandma is an active presence in the lives of Sadie and Ori. She reads them books, teaches them to catch a ball and swing a bat, and involves them in preparing for and celebrating the Jewish holidays. The blue 'together blanket' Grandma knitted when Sadie was born is a constant presence throughout, whether they are sitting on it, playing under it, or wrapping it around themselves when they snuggle. As the children grow older, however, their grandmother is not able to do everything she used to: 'Just as her arms were not strong enough to throw a ball, and her eyes were not strong enough to read a book, her mind was not strong enough to remember places or names.' Sadie and Ori miss the grandmother they had known, but realize that they can still sit together under the soft, blue blanket, this time reading to her. The realistic depiction of a contemporary grandparent - she not only teaches the children to cook but also gets down on the floor to play and runs alongside their tricycles - as well as the sensitive treatment of aging, make this a recommended addition to school and synagogue library collections." -- AJL Newsletter

"The popular, cheery duo, siblings Sadie and Ori, return in a warm, bittersweet picture book experiencing aging with grandma with whom they are close. The threesome has done so many things together, has developed cherished memories, especially of the annual cycle of Jewish holidays. Grandma knit the Blue Blanket of the title which she calls the 'together blanket'. It serves various purposes through the years, mainly for snuggling under for stories. The early part of the story shares days with grandma who runs, reads, plays, chases, cooks, sews, hosts and teaches her delighted grandchildren. Sadie and Ori grow bigger and become more and more capable; Grandma does less and less. Not only are her arms, legs and eyes not strong enough for activities, but her mind is not strong enough to remember. The duo miss their grandma of the past as she misses what she used to do for them. They decide it is their turn to care for her after all her years of caring for them. The book ends as it starts, in the rocking chair, the three curled up under the together blanket, only this time Sadie and Ori are the readers. A three hanky ending to a wise, wonderful book which delivers a familiar, real, but sad situation in a comforting way with touching vocabulary that will surely resonate with every family." -- Jewish Book Council