Tali and the Timeless Time by Mira Z. Amiras with Illustrations by Chantelle and Burgen Thorne; Oakland, California: The Collective Book Studio; © 2025; ISBN 9781685-551858; 48 pages; $19.95; Publication date: August 12.
SAN DIEGO — This book written for children 4 to 8 years of age portrays what happens to old people when their grasp on the present merges with their memories of the past. Without using the words, it is an introduction to “senility” and to “Alzheimer’s Disease.”
Tali visits her grandmother, who lives next door. Although it is still early, her grandmother, Nona, puts her to bed, starting to tell her stories about when Tali’s mother Ramona was a little girl. But it is Nona who needs a nap, and as she dozes, Tali cleans the fountain in the back yard.
After Nona awakens from her nap, they bake bourekas together. Nona becomes confused who her visitor is, calling Tali “Ramona.”
In addition to eating bourekas, they discuss other Sephardic dishes such as yaprakas (stuffed grape leaves) and chakchouka (eggs and tomatoes).
In the meantime, Nona forgets that they are making Shabbat dinner until Tali reminds her. When they sit down to dinner, Nona doesn’t recognize the food she is eating although it is her recipe.
She grabs a fan and some castanets and is transported mentally to a time when she danced the flamenco. Tali worries that Nona, with her lessening grasp on reality, should not live alone. Tali is comforted by the fact that Nona lives next door.
This book written in rhyme serves several purposes. It exposes children to Sephardic culture. It teaches helping the aged and infirm with their chores. Finally, it transmits the idea that no matter what their ailments may be, family members are still lovable.
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Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World.