This series of stories is deceptively simple. It seems to be (and is) a look at the daily life of Jewish children in New York City tenements at the turn of the last century. Without a deep philosophical message, the story line still seems to run a little deeper than the usual children's book. For one thing, we learn a lot about Jewish holidays and customs. When the author explains the story behind a holiday, she rarely takes more than a paragraph, but that is all a child needs to understand. The relationship between the sisters (and their new little brother) is strong and loving without being sickly sweet and perfect. A lovely slice-of-life that I enjoyed a lot. ( )