A fun and foodie-friendly parody that illuminates the origin of the Purim festival for young readers.
Silberberg returns with another comedic Jewish holiday story in this whodunit spoof.
The story opens in a detective agency run by a trio of anthropomorphic Hamantaschen, the triangular pastries traditionally eaten during the Jewish holiday of Purim. They receive a phone call from a mysterious stranger who presents them with a Purim problem: The megillah (a scroll bearing the biblical narrative known as the book of Esther) is missing, and without it the story of Purim cannot be told. Numerous questions and “false facts” lead the detectives to interview all of the suspects, who are also anthropomorphic Jewish foods and happen to be characters in the annual Purim play. There is the banished Queen Vashti, King Ahasuerus, the heroine Queen Esther, her uncle Mordecai, and, of course, the evil Haman. The three clueless detectives learn much about the Jewish holiday from the play characters en route to the amusing ending when the mystery is finally solved. This hilarious rib of the crime noir drama adds a few contemporary twists to the legend of Purim (for example, Esther has a modern-day diary that is quickly discounted as not being the real book of Esther) but manages to relay the key, traditional elements. Children will get a kick out of the illustrations which incorporate speech bubbles, comic book–style sound effects, and an abundance of wacky details. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A fun and foodie-friendly parody that illuminates the origin of the Purim festival for young readers. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35157-4
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A touching, beautifully illustrated story of greatest interest to those in the New York City area.
A pair of cardinals is separated and then reunited when their tree home is moved to New York City to serve as the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
The male cardinal, Red, and his female partner, Lulu, enjoy their home in a huge evergreen tree located in the front yard of a small house in a pleasant neighborhood. When the tree is cut down and hauled away on a truck, Lulu is still inside the tree. Red follows the truck into the city but loses sight of it and gets lost. The birds are reunited when Red finds the tree transformed with colored lights and serving as the Christmas tree in a complex of city buildings. When the tree is removed after Christmas, the birds find a new home in a nearby park. Each following Christmas, the pair visit the new tree erected in the same location. Attractive illustrations effectively handle some difficult challenges of dimension and perspective and create a glowing, magical atmosphere for the snowy Christmas trees. The original owners of the tree are a multiracial family with two children; the father is African-American and the mother is white. The family is in the background in the early pages, reappearing again skating on the rink at Rockefeller Center with their tree in the background.
A touching, beautifully illustrated story of greatest interest to those in the New York City area. (author’s note) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7733-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
Thoughtful and joyful.
A child of Vietnamese descent fantasizes about the perfect outfit for Tết.
One night, Mai dreams about being a big “STAAAAAAR” and fielding questions on the red carpet. Mai’s literal dream dress is a sparkly silver ballroom gown with a sweetheart cut. After waking up, the child is eager to tell Ba all about it, but first it’s time to get ready. It’s the first day of Tết, or Lunar New Year, and the family plans to celebrate at Mai’s grandmother’s house. Though Mai loves visiting Bà Nội, the child balks at donning the áo dài, a Vietnamese outfit consisting of a tunic worn over trousers. “Stars wear dresses and gowns,” Mai tells Ba. But Ba shows Mai the family photo album, explaining that Bà Nội had her own sewing school in Vietnam and that her students lovingly dubbed her the “Queen of Áo Dài.” To keep their traditions alive when the family emigrated, Bà Nội continued to make áo dài for her loved ones, and the children learned to sew them as an expression of love. Finally, with a newfound appreciation for the garment, Mai greets Bà Nội with a hug, clad in a customized áo dài made by Ba. Told entirely through naturally expressed and well-paced dialogue and accompanied by vividly textured illustrations, this is a loving tale of a family finding a creative way to reshape a beloved tradition.
Thoughtful and joyful. (glossary, “let’s design our own áo dài” activity) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781665917346
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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