2011
I loved this book as much as the first about this family published in 2009, The Doll Shop Downstairs. It’s just a great family story and I’ll love recommending it. I won’t have to warn sensitive parents about language or issues. It’s short and simple but with plenty of meaningful content, Anna faces many challenges including sibling rivalry, the effects of WWI, taking care of a young cousin whom they have never met and who speaks only Russian, rescuing a mother cat and her wounded kitten, helping her family succeed in the Doll Shop, and celebrating Jewish holidays. Anna and her family have very little compared to many kids now and it’s delightful to enter their world of imagination and creative play.