Silly predicaments, strong rhyming verse, amusing illustrations, and a kid’s victory—a pleasing Shabbos tale.
In this picture book, no one can open a grandmother’s jar of gefilte fish until a boy finds a solution.
It’s Shabbos, and Jack’s grandmother Judy, called Bubbe, is making her grandson’s favorite gefilte fish—but first, she has to get the lid off the jar. And that proves just about impossible. Bubbe and Zayde, Jack’s grandfather, try the usual methods with no success, then get friends, relations, and locals to employ their special skills: a bodybuilding neighbor, a mechanic, a doctor (who diagnoses “a dreadful case of / Liddy-stuck-a-tosis!”), and more. Zayde proposes getting a new jar, but the store is closed. Luckily, Jack has an idea: use a magic word. He speaks politely to the jar, the lid opens, and Shabbos dinner is saved. The husband-and-wife team of Allison Marks and Wayne Marks (Og's Ark, 2016) tells a humorous story with rhyming quatrains that scan well: “They lugged it to their auto shop / And schmeared it well with sludge. / But even with a monkey wrench / That lid refused to budge.” A useful glossary, pronunciation guide, recipe for gefilte mini-muffins, and Shabbos song are included. Andriani's (Rome Romp!, 2016, etc.) images are a delight, depicting the tale’s comic misadventures with attractive, mostly soft colors. The pictures have energy and a wealth of witty details, including a fisherman’s piscine-themed decorations and the actions of the family pets, who try to help.
Silly predicaments, strong rhyming verse, amusing illustrations, and a kid’s victory—a pleasing Shabbos tale.Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9908430-0-9
Page Count: 49
Publisher: MB Publishing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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