3 comments about Chanukah in Chelm.

1. The fictional town of Chelm is filled with a variety of preoccupied and "eccentric" individuals, who are both described and illustrated extremely well. From the Rabbi to Mendel to the animals, who perhaps possess the best judgement of everyone (as expressed by words and in illustration), the town is alive and exceptionally funny, with everyone trying to be understanding, thoughtful, intelligent, and considerate. The message is clear, everybody must be dedicated to something, and must make decisions, we all just have different ways of arriving at them! This is a book to be shared between parent and child(ren), and not only at Hannukah. In my opinion this book would be a welcome edition to any home library, especially those of individuals who are understanding, cooperative, caring, and dedicated to family, to education, and to traditions. It also helps to have a sense of humor (e.g., at times this Chelm is too familiar to me!).



2. Chelm (pronounced "khlem" with a gutteral) is a mythical town filled with loveable Jewish fools. But Chelm foolishness is not mere stupidity -- no, indeed! The "wisdom" of Chelm is a sort of convoluted mis-logic that satirizes the process of Jewish theological reasoning. It's a way that we Jews have of laughing at ourselves, of stepping back and saying, "Sometimes we make things far more complicated than they need to be."

   In this book, Rabbi Nachman of Chelm tells Mendel to set up the menorah by the window for the first night of Chanukah. Mendel goes to the storeroom, where there are such silly things as a bike with square wheels, a crate full of imported air, and the Cantor's Decanter. In this messy jumble he finds a menorah and brings it into the main room. Following the rabbi's instructions quite literally, he sets it up by the window -- on the floor! The Rabbi tells him to get a table. Mendel goes back into the storeroom but, in true Chelmitish denseness, doesn't see the little table where he found the menorah in the first place. So, he tells the rabbi that he can't find a table. The rabbi then sends him to Berel the carpenter, who is busy trying to remember which end of a ladder is the top... and the silliness just goes on from there.

   In addition to the main storyline, there are puns and jokes in the illustrations. Characters talk to each other with cartoon-type balloons ("How long did you sleep last night?" "I don't know, I didn't bring a ruler to bed.") and the synagogue cat makes wisecracks. Berel's shop is named "Tables Are Us" (established "some time ago"), where there is a currently a big sale on two-legged tables. Best of all, the sign on the road to Chelm points in both directions -- hinting that EVERYWHERE is Chelm, when you stop to think about it.

   In terms of Jewish tradition, the illustrations are appropriate for even very Orthodox Jews. One nice touch is that the menorah is the oil-burning type, rather than one with candles -- which would be accurate for Old World Chelm and in many homes to this day. Candles were expensive back then (out of reach for the poor Chelmites) and oil was/is preferred to commemorate the Miracle of the Oil. Having a cat in the synagogue is historially accurate, too -- she helped keep the mice from nibbling the leather bindings on the books. (Those were, of course, always synagogue mice, never church mice.)




3. Chelm is that mythic place in Eastern Europe where, by accident, the angels deposited all the world's fools. I love Chelm and all of its residents, who like many people much of the time, take themselves too seriously to see how funny they are.

   In this simple tale we meet Rabbi Nachman--not the one from Bratslav, but a fool like all Chelmites, which the illustrations show beautifully. He wore his kipah upside-down (those educated in Chelm lore will immediately recognize his logic from another tale on how Chelmites avoid getting their hats wet in the rain). He also put his breakfast cream in it.

   But here's my favorite piece of clever silliness. After failing to see a table right in front of his eyes, Mendel traveled through the snow to find one, and having done so began to carry it back to the shul in time to light the menorah. Of course, he got tired, untied the table and put it down. While resting in the forest, he met Rivki and Dovid.

   The latter told the table, "You have four strong legs. If we can walk to the synagogue on two legs, surely you can walk on four."

   I won't tell you what else happened, but suffice it to say that even the poor Chelmites eventually determined how to light the Chanukah menorah and found a table to put it on.

   If you and your children like this Chelm story, try Eric Kimmel's Jar of Fools too. Amongst the very best Chelm stories, also, are Solomon Simon's Wise Men of Helm and Their Merry Tales and his More Wise Men of Helm and Their Merry Tales. These all provide the read-aloud set with much hilarity. Alyssa A. Lappen

2 comments about Hooray! It's Passover! Board Book.

1. We were very disappointed in this book for our young son. The author seems not to know that "brave Moses" is never mentioned in ANY Haggadah; the artist seems not to know that the holiday candles are never picked up to be lighted. The author seems to think that finding the afikomen is the whole point of the holiday. We regret buying this book.



2. This is one of my daughter's favorite books! We started reading it to her several weeks before Passover to get her ready for the holiday. She understood the seder much better from having read the book first, I am certain. She is especially taken with the smiling, happy characters in the pictures. The book may not describe _exactly_ what happens at your Passover seder, but no two families seem to do everything the same way anyway. I really liked how it conveys the importance of family being together and of the central rituals of the evening. We are still reading the book often, though Passover is long over.

No comments about The Mitzvah Girl.

5 comments about Nine Spoons: A Chanukah Story.

1. I recommend this book very highly as an addition to anyone's bookshelf of children's Chanukah literature. As a teacher and youth director, I have read the story to children grades 2-5. Every child is spell-bound by the story. The fact that it is based on real-life events makes it even more meaningful to them. This book is not to introduce the concepts/practices of the holiday. Rather it provides a mature dimension to the holiday. Though set during the Holocaust, the themes of deprivation and loss are softened by the fact that a the narrator, a grandmother, in either voice or image appears on many pages. It is helpful if the children have some prior knowledge of what the holocaust was, but the book's text gently explains all the necessary ideas without delving into traumatic loss or death. The illustrations are not as finely drawn as I would have wished. Others might find the drawings complementary to the book's stark setting. Bottom line, the illustrations don't in any way detract from the impact of the story. This is a special book to take out yearly during the holiday season.



2. Children should learn about greatest tragedy, that happened to the humankind. It is tough, but they should know. Because, if they will not know it from early childhood, if we "save" them from this tearfull emotions, good chance they would not bother to know about it when adults. Forgeting the tradegy makes it possible for similar tradegies to be inpreventive and repeat. This book is unbelivable way to achieve that learning. Not only it tells about Holocaust, but it also shows the strengh Jews had to survive, planting into young Jewish children proudness and similar strengh for fighting inequality, that unfortunetly still present in every, even most democratic, country



3. The talented Marci Stillerman infuses this remarkable matzo-ball-soup concoction with the sense of wonder requisite in children's writing, the sense of history that we all need (grownups too), the sense of adventure and danger and overcoming obstacles that keep kids turning the pages, and a reverence for Jewish history, faith and culture.
   
   Fun fact: Marci's husband Jack wrote his childhood memoirs titled "Yankee Doodle Boychick." Buy both books and score a one-two punch for children, faith, and family.



4. This is a wonderful moving story of a woman who was able to fashion a menorrah for Hannukah out of spoons. Spoons were precious because they were needed to get more food as people were starving and spoons allowed people to get the leftover soups. What a story!



5. This is one of the best Chanukah books I've read in a long time. Beautifully illustrated. A great work that introduces the difficult story of the Holocaust and the beautiful story of Chanukah. A great lesson on mitzvahs.

No comments about Nathan's Hanukkah Bargain.

5 comments about Bubbie And Zadie Come to My House: A Story for Hanukkah.

1. Guess what? After 20 long years and being technically out of print, this book is coming back to life in 2005 as a 20th anniversary edition from a new publisher in New York, updated and revised for a new generation of kids.



2. START A TRADITION IN YOUR FAMILY LIKE WE DID 20 YEARS AGO READING BUBBIE AND ZADIE COME TO MY HOUSE..THIS BOOK IS A GREAT STORY TO READ TO YOUR CHILDREN EVERY YEAR AT HANUKKAH..WITH THE NEW RELEASE THIS YEAR IT WAS SO EXCITING TO SEE THE BRIGHT AND COLORFUL ARTWORK..IT IS DONE JUST BEAUTIFULLY!!! AND THE STORY IS ONE THAT YOU WILL ENJOY READING YEAR AFTER YEAR..A DEFINITE MUST FOR EVERY HOUSEHOLD TO EMBRACE..GREAT FOR GRANDPARENTS TO GIVE AS GIFTS TO THEIR GRANDCHILDREN AND CHILDREN TO GIVE AS GIFTS TO SPECIAL GRANDPARENTS...START THE TRADITION NOW..DEFINITELY THE BEST HANNUKAH BOOK THERE IS!!!!



3. This book is a classic. It belongs in every Jewish (and half-Jewish) home in America. Daniel Bloom is the Bing Crosby of American Jews!



4. I purchased this book for my children. I've read it to my three year old. She did enjoy it although, she doesn't yet understand it. I'm sure she will some day. I plan to continue reading Bubbie And Zadie Come to My House to my children for many Hanukkahs to come. I just love this book!



5. We got this as a gift for our kids, but won't be making it a tradition in our house. And we don't have a Channukah bush, either. Bubbie and Zaidie are Santa Claus in a beard and dress.
   
   I am happy to let my kids know about the traditions of other religions, but those traditions should be associated with the appropriate holidays. Channukah has enough of its own traditions, such as lighting the menorah, dreidel, latkes, sufganiyot, and the story of the miracle that God gave us when He helped the Maccabees defeat the Greeks and rededicate the Temple.
   
   And by the way, Bubbe and Zaide are YIDDISH words, not Hebrew, as this book claims.

3 comments about Avram's Gift.

1. This title was declared a 2003 Notable Book by the Association of Jewish Libraries! Almost 200 children's books of Judaic content were reviewed during the year to find the best of the bunch. Find out more at www.jewishlibraries.org.



2. This 2003 notable book is a beautiful story about a young Jewish boy named Mark and an old picture of a stern looking man named Avram, Mark's great great grandfather.
   Mark doesn't like the picture one bit. In fact, it makes him a little nervous. But when his family comes to visit for Rosh Hashanah, he learns just who that old man was.
   
   This is a touching story about a young man learning about his family and his culture. The artwork through the book is beautiful, and truly works to tie the story together. It is a fantastic book for young children, and could easily be used to help teach children about Jewish history, Culture and, more specifically, Rosh Hashanah.



3. I have read both of Margie Blumberg's books (the other being Shakespeare for Kids) and she is distinguishing herself as a sensitive and thoroughly creative writer of books for children. Although this book has a strong Jewish focus, its theme - of a child learning about his family's past - is universal and should appeal to children of any background. Moreover, the illustrations by Laurie McGaw are elegant and often touching. Highly recommended!

No comments about Toby Belfer's Seder: A Passover Story Retold.

3 comments about P is for Passover (Holiday Alphabet Books).

1. This is a very nice children's book for Passover. Good for parents to read to their children or older children to read to younger siblings. Especially when they are waiting for dinner to be ready.



2. When my son, Moses, was first learning to read, he loved this book, but he would always ask to read "Piss for Passover!" (Notice the print of the title)



3. A fun book about the different aspects of Passover, but may be a little over a toddler's head and suited more for pre-school and early school age children. Not a must have book, there are others that are a bit better, but if you are a book-olohic, then a book to have on the shelf!

1 comments about It's Hanukkah!.

1. The rhymes are a little awkward, but my almost-2-yr-old loves the illustrations and asks for this nightly as we approach the Holiday. She touches the candles and clearly registers the increase in number as the rhyme unfolds. This is NOT the story of Hanukkah, instead it describes the holiday activities in a way a toddler can comprehend.