Alte Zachen / Old Things
by Ziggy Hanaor
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Pub Date Sep 06 2022 | Archive Date Dec 16 2022
Publisher Spotlight | Cicada Books
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Description
SHORTLISTED FOR THE YOTO CARNEGIES MEDAL FOR ILLUSTRATION 2023
A beautifully illustrated and presented intergenerational graphic novel that follows 11-year-old Benji and his elderly grandmother, Bubbe Rosa, as they traverse Brooklyn and Manhattan, gathering the ingredients for a Friday night dinner.
Bubbe’s relationship with the city is complex – nothing is quite as she remembered it and she feels alienated and angry at the world around her. Benji, on the other hand, looks at the world, and his grandmother, with clear-eyed acceptance. As they wander the city, we catch glimpses of Bubbe’s childhood in Germany, her young adulthood in 1950s Brooklyn, and her relationships; first with a baker called Gershon, and later with successful Joe, Benji’s grandfather. Gradually we piece together snippets of Bubbe’s life, gaining an insight to some of the things that have formed her cantankerous personality. The journey culminates on the Lower East Side in a moving reunion between Rosa and Gershon, her first love. As the sun sets, Benji and his Bubbe walk home over the Williamsburg Bridge to make dinner.
This is a powerful, affecting and deceptively simple story of Jewish identity, of generational divides, of the surmountability of difference and of a restless city and its inhabitants.
Advance Praise
''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
''A powerful and affecting story from author and publisher Ziggy Hanaor, with atmospheric illustrations from Benjamin Phillips''.
-- Centre for Literacy in Primary Education
''For a first graphic novel, Alte Zachen is a true success. This is award-winning storytelling''. -- Books for Keeps
''Every so often a book appears and you just know what an impact it's going to have. Alte Zachen by #ZiggyHanaor and @benjamindraws is one of those books''. -- Children Reading for Pleasure
''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
''A very powerful and moving graphic novel''. -- Through the Bookshelf
''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
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781800660229 |
| PRICE | $22.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 72 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Siofra K, Bookseller
The art style is super cute, and the colour choice for past and present is a fresh way to tell a story and shows the influence of the story and emotions of Bubba.
I enjoyed it, and it also broke my heart because it shows potential Dementia with a family member and working with it as they are confused and living between past & present and trauma.
Ivonne R, Educator
This is a graphic novel best read cold. Eleven-year-old Benji spends the day with his bubbe, a Berlin-born Jew who fled the Nazis and ended up in Brooklyn decades ago. A lot has changed in the ensuring years, and Bubbe Rosa has not kept up. When the pair go shopping, we learn about Rosa’s past and her present through wonderful dialogue and evocative mostly grayscale illustrations by Benjamin Phillips. As with a Disney cartoon, children will thoroughly enjoy this glimpse of familial life, while adults will absorb a deeper meaning. Highly recommended for young and old.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, Cicada Books and Publisher Spotlight in exchange for an honest review.
sara a, Reviewer
How can you not love this book? As a Jewish grandma myself, I enjoyed it greatly and I would want to read it with my grandson when he is a little older. It's a little challenging to figure out how this book is best read. I could see it as the impetus for a lot of intergenerational discussion and would recommend it for a synagogue reading group or at a family gathering. The illustrations are heartwarming and there is so much to unpack here. A short and effective read!
Suzanna M, Reviewer
Thank you to Ziggy Hanaor, Cicada Books, and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this beautiful ARC! I received a copy in exchange for my honest review.
I just adored this graphic novel of a young Jewish boy and his Bubbe running grocery errands in New York while she remembered details of her past. The watercolor illustrations show such a great contrast between the grandmother's vivid colorful memories and the monochrome greys of the present day. I loved the full spread illustrations, some with much detail and others simple and stoic. Very touching. The narrative and art went together beautifully.
It was exciting to get a preview of a graphic novel. Thank you again!
5 out of 5 stars
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