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Title: Bubbe & Gram: My Two Grandmothers by Joan C. Hawxhurst, Jane K. Bynum, Jane K. Bynun, Janie Bynum ISBN: 0-9651284-2-3 Publisher: Dovetail Publishing Pub. Date: 01 October, 1996 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.95

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Average Customer Rating: 3.33 (3 reviews)

Rating: 4
Summary: Response to Jen from Canada
Comment: As the author of Bubbe & Gram, I wanted to respond to your harsh comments. About the illustrations: there was never any intent to characterize either grandmother as outdated or frumpy. We simply tried to draw two people who would be distinguishable to very young children. I suppose if we'd drawn the Christian grandma as the chubbier one, we'd be getting criticism from Christian families. I'm sorry the book wasn't useful for your particular family, but I'm disappointed that you were so quick to publicly condemn its possible usefulness for other types of interfaith families. I've gotten many appreciative and thankful letters from parents who thought Bubbe & Gram really helped their preschoolers feel comfortable in their dual identities. I hope that such families will be able to see beyond your negative review and still try this book.

Rating: 2
Summary: Interfaith Families -- the icky-sticky "Disney" way
Comment: I was initially put off by a sense of religious "one-upmanship" (intentional or not) between the two grandmothers, matching symbol for symbol, Moses stories vs. Jesus stories, menorah vs. creche.

Like the girl in this book, my kids have one Jewish grandmother and one Christian one. But I'm raising the kids as Jews, and doubt their Christian grandmother would feel comfortable telling them stories about the miracles of Jesus.

Perhaps the book is appropriate for couples raising their kids "strongly" in both religions, but I didn't feel it can really speak to the large numbers of "interfaith" kids who are being raised Jewish.

I put the word "strongly" in quotation marks above because the idea that both grandmothers have such strong feelings for their own religion and yet happily support the notion of a dual-faith grandchild is more than a little far-fetched. Why doesn't the Christian grandma worry about the girl's soul? Doesn't the Bubby ever get flustered when she's asked why she doesn't pray to Jesus? (or why she's still waiting for the messiah?) I think any interfaith child ought to feel insulted by the implication that her religious life is this "Disney-fied" -- cheerfully simplistic in a nauseatingly "let's all hold hands and be friends" kind of way.

Another off-putting factor: These two grandmothers, mysteriously, seem to be of two very different generations. The Jewish one has just stepped out of the shtetl, while the Christian grandmother, by contrast, is cosmopolitan and peppy, "hip" and well-dressed.

I don't know if this is Ms Hawxhurst's bias or the illustrator's, but someone along the way made a conscious decision that "old and fat (but cheerful) and out-of-touch" were traits they wanted to use for the "Bubby" character. While some might argue that a chubby grandmother figure is more comforting to kids, as a Jewish mother, I must say this an unappealing stereotype.

In short, this isn't the most useful book for interfaith kids unless a) you don't really like either religion very much, and b) you have the kind of perfectly harmonious family relationships usually only found in... well, in storybooks, I guess.

Rating: 4
Summary: Excellent for young readers in interfaith families.
Comment: A loving look at the celebrations and holidays of two faiths (Judaism and Christianity). The narrator introduces his grandmothers (one of each faith), explains the customs of both faiths, and contrasts the observance of the Sabbath as well as major holidays that occur around the same season. A must for interfaith families. Also useful in providing any child with knowledge about other faiths.

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	Title: The Interfaith Family Guidebook: Practical Advice for Jewish and Christian Partners by Joan C. Hawxhurst, Joan C. Howxhurst ISBN: 096512844X Publisher: Dovetail Publishing Pub. Date: 01 May, 1998 List Price(USD): $16.95
	Title: Raising Your Jewish/Christian Child: How Interfaith Parents Can Give Children the Best of Both Their Heritages, Second Edition by Lee F. Gruzen, Lavey Derby, Joel A. Gibson, Sheila Gordon ISBN: 1557044147 Publisher: Newmarket Press Pub. Date: 20 August, 2001 List Price(USD): $16.95