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A TALE OF THREE WISHES

Name: A TALE OF THREE WISHES
Author: Isaac Bashevis Singer
ISBN: 0374373701

by Isaac Bashevis Singer & illustrated by Irene Lieblich ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1976

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It seems that on the night of Hoshanah Rabbah there's a minute when the sky opens and wishes come true. Anyone who's heard about the trouble wishes can cause (and who hasn't?) will be more tickled than surprised when Esther absentmindedly asks for a blintz at the holy moment, Shlomah is so angry that he wishes Esther were a blintz, and poor Moshe ("when he saw that his beloved Esther had turned into a blintz, he fell into a terrible despair") has to use his chance to make things right again. After this fiasco the Watcher in the Night appears and counsels the children to gain their ambitions "by effort." They do, becoming respectively beautiful, wise and religious (though we'd say that Moshe was the wise one all along) in a conclusion that generates a pious glow but none of the wit characteristic of Singer in full stride. Similarly, Lieblich's small paintings create just the right mood of peasant naivete, but have been positioned in a way that kills the tale's dramatic development, especially when we see Esther wrapped in dough before we know what's happening to her. A moral pleasantry.

Pub Date: March 1, 1976

ISBN: 0374373701

Page Count: 27

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Review Posted Online: Oct. 4, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1976

Categories:

CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE PARAKEET NAMED DREIDEL
by Isaac Bashevis Singer ; illustrated by Suzanne Raphael Berkson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE TOPSY-TURVY EMPEROR OF CHINA
by Isaac Bashevis Singer & translated by Isaac Bashevis Singer & Elizabeth Shub & illustrated by Julian Jusim

- BOOK REVIEW
THE GOLEM
by Isaac Bashevis Singer & illustrated by Uri Shulevitz

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THE NIGHT OF LAS POSADAS

by Tomie dePaola & illustrated by Tomie dePaola ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1999

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A wondrous occurrence, an ancient tradition, and an elderly nun’s abiding faith are the basis of this moving Chirstmas tale from dePaola (26 Fairmount Avenue, p. 629, etc.). Sister Angie is overjoyed when her niece Lupe and her husband are selected to play Mary and Joseph—here, Maria and José—for Las Posadas, the reenactment of the journey into Bethlehem. When Sister Angie becomes ill and Lupe and Roberto become stranded in a heavy snowstorm, it seems as if the celebration will be delayed. However, a couple arrives just in time to take the place of the missing players. The whole village participates in the procession, from the singers who follow Mary and Joseph, to the “devils” who attempt to prevent the weary travelers from finding lodging. After several rebuffs, the couple arrives at the gates of the courtyard; these open and the entire assembly enters to celebrate. When Lupe and Roberto finally show up, the other couple is nowhere to be found. The story takes a supernatural twist when Sister Angie discovers that the figures in the church’s manger scene have come to life, temporarily, for the procession. The mysteries and miracles of the season are kept at bay; this simple narrative spells everything out, resulting in a primer on the tradition. Richly hued, luminescent illustrations radiate from the pages; an introduction and author’s note provide additional information. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-399-23400-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999

Categories:

CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
WINGS
by Cheryl B. Klein ; illustrated by Tomie dePaola

- BOOK REVIEW
THE POPCORN BOOK
by Tomie dePaola ; illustrated by Tomie dePaola

- BOOK REVIEW
QUIET
by Tomie dePaola ; illustrated by Tomie dePaola

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SUNDAY WEEK

by Dinah Johnson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1999

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Johnson (All Around Town, 1998) sketches out the activities for the six days leading up to Sunday. Monday is reserved for the blues, Tuesday for double Dutch workouts, Wednesday for choir practice, Thursday for reading with Miss Augusta (“books filled with magic words. We can taste them and hear them and fashion them—speak words written and said long ago to make today and tomorrow our own”), Friday—“Finally Friday,”—with its fish and hush puppies, and workday Saturday. Then comes Sunday at the Lovely Hill Baptist Church, and displays of fashion, toe-tapping music, gathering, and feasting. The spirituality in these pages is caring and inclusive, so no one is a stranger here; Geter’s pastels are studied and a little self-conscious, but as warm as the biscuits served at Sunday dinner. (Picture book. 6-9)