A grandchild slicing pastrami on rye alongside Zeyde on a Sunday morning — that is the world inside “Deli Days,” a debut picture book that Los Angeles author Jenna Rothberg will read aloud and sign at Vroman’s Bookstore this Saturday at 11 a.m.
The 40-page book, published May 5 by Scribble US, follows a grandchild helping at their grandfather’s neighborhood deli, learning Ashkenazi traditions through the rhythms of shared meals and family work. The publisher describes the story as an exploration of “resilience, Ashkenazi heritage, and the joy of shared meals.” “Zeyde” is the Yiddish word for grandfather.
Rothberg, a writer and educator who lives in Los Angeles, is bringing her first book to Pasadena’s 132-year-old independent bookstore as part of Vroman’s regular children’s programming. The bookstore, founded in 1894, hosts more than 400 free community events annually, according to its website, including children’s storytimes, craft classes, and book launch parties.
The event includes a reading followed by a book signing, according to MomsLA, which listed it among recommended weekend activities for families.
Rome-based illustrator Marta Pantaleo created the artwork for “Deli Days.” Pantaleo won the Carthusia Silent Book Contest in 2016 with her first picture book, “Ciao ciao giocattoli” (Bye Bye Toys), and her work has been exhibited at the Society of Illustrators in New York, the Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair, and the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, according to the publisher.
Scribble, the book’s publisher, is the children’s imprint of Scribe Publications, an independent press based in Melbourne, Australia. Scribble won “Publisher of the Year, Oceania region” at the Bologna Book Fair in 2019, according to the publisher’s website.
The book has drawn positive notices from professional review outlets. Kirkus Reviews reviewed the book, according to the publisher’s page. Foreword Reviews also reviewed the book in its March/April 2026 issue. The Midwest Book Review called it “a unique, memorable, and deftly crafted story of food, family and tradition,” according to an excerpt on the publisher’s website.
Beth Bissmeyer of Carmichael’s Bookstore and Elizabeth Gorby of Charter Books are among the independent booksellers who have endorsed the title, according to the publisher.
Rothberg “deeply believes in compassion, humor, and curiosity — and that picture books have the ability to inspire all three,” according to her publisher bio on the Scribble Kids Books website. “Deli Days” is aimed at children ages 3 to 7.
Vroman’s notes on its event listing that “a purchase of the book from Vroman’s is greatly appreciated and makes events like this possible.” The hardcover is priced at $19.95.
Jenna Rothberg reads from and signs “Deli Days,” Saturday, July 11, 2026, 11 a.m. Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. For more, call (626) 449-5320 or visit vromansbookstore.com.
