Sisters Esther and Hester (both light skinned) live next door to each other; Esther has a fat black cat named Lester; Hester has a stubby brown dog named Chester. When someone moves into the house across the street, both sisters decide to bake a babka for Shabbat to welcome the newcomer, each claiming, “After all, I bake the best babka in the world.” That’s how the “Great Babka Bake-Off” begins. The harmonious relationship between the two briefly frays under the strain of the undeclared competition. Luckily, their new neighbor, Sylvester, turns out to be a Master of Diplomacy (or a hungry opportunist) and equilibrium is restored, at least until the next Shabbat. (“Which of you makes the best KUGEL in the world?”) A breezy, bouncy text and whimsical illustrations delight in this buoyant picture book centered around Jewish cultural and religious traditions. (Ages 4-7)