Tali and the Timeless Time

A tender story of love, memory, and family that helps children explore the emotions and changes that come with aging family members while celebrating the traditions that keep us connected across generations.

Tali loves spending time with her grandmother, her ＂Nona,＂ especially when they prepare traditional Sephardic Jewish dishes together. But as they cook, Tali notices that her nona sometimes forgets things--calling her by her mother’s name or losing track of the meal they’re making. As Tali navigates these moments, she begins to understand Nona’s ＂Timeless Time,＂ where memories from the past and present come together in beautiful and complex ways.

- Ideal for children ages 4-8, especially those experiencing a grandparent’s memory loss.
- A heartfelt story that opens up gentle conversations about aging and family connections.
- Beautiful illustrations bring to life the rich traditions and the love between a grandmother and granddaughter.

Tali and the Timeless Time poignantly and sensitively tells the story of a young girl’s empathy and curiosity about her grandmother’s confusion and memory loss. Perfect for children navigating a changing relationship with an aging family member, this heartwarming tale also centers on the importance of traditions that bind us together across time and generations.

Mira Z. Amiras is an anthropologist, author, and award-winning filmmaker. She was raised on her mother’s accounts of the Inquisition and Holocaust, her father’s tales of the creation and beauty of the universe, and her grandparents’ foods, folklore and music of ancient Sefarad. Mira has lived, studied, and traveled throughout the Middle East and North Africa, camped out 7,000 miles through Africa, and traveled overland from Istanbul to the Nepalese border. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and is Professor Emerita of Comparative Religion and Middle East Studies at San Jose State University. Mira is past president of the Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness, and was a member of the Executive Board of the American Anthropological Association. She lives in San Francisco with her family.