Celebrate Purim
Daughters of Fire: Heroines of the Bible
Fran Manushkin
Illustrated by Uri Shulevitz
An oversized and sleek book with beautifully told stories of feisty women, this should be a coffee table volume. Unfortunately, Shulevitz's mixed media pictures, while detailed and colorful, do not rise to the challenge. His characters often display strange facial expressions and inappropriate garb, as with the pious Hannah (page 50), who is shown with immodestly bare arms raised in prayer to heaven and a face like a bird rather than a heart-sick woman. Similarly, Moses (page 42) looks dour and stern as the Israelite women joyfully donate their gold jewelry for building the Ark of the Covenant. Ruth and Boaz (page 57), who both reflect their thoughts in a moon-drenched illustration, are much more successful. However, the book is a good read with its ten chapters devoted to well-known, as well as collective and less familiar heroines, like "The Women of the Exodus" and Yael. 2001, Silver Whistle/Harcourt, $20.00. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Judy Chernak
This attractive book begins with the story of Eve in a retelling that portrays the first woman as someone who always "remembered the glories of Eden" and was blessed by her time there. Sarah was said to be so beautiful, she resembled Eve. Sarah refused other suitors in favor of the burly but tender-hearted Abraham. In her old age, Sarah's youth was restored and she gave birth to Isaac, who married a gentle and generous girl named Rebecca. In chronological order, ten stories present familiar biblical tales from a female perspective. Skillfully intertwining biblical sources, legend and her own interpretations, Manushkin fleshes her heroines with intriguing details. For example, Leah has weakened eyes because of the bitter tears she cried to extract herself from an arranged marriage with Esau. These stories present the women of the Bible as fully formed individuals who young women can identify with and model. While similar to Daughters of Eve by Lillian Hammer Ross (Barefoot Books, 2000), there are enough differences that libraries will want to own both. Uri Shulevitz's elegant, mixed media illustrations make this book a lovely gift, especially for a Bat Mitzvah. An afterword explains Jewish traditions related to biblical stories. 2001, Silver Whistle/Harcourt, $20.00. Ages 8 to 14. Reviewer: Jackie Hechtkopf
ISBN: 0-15-201869-7
Best Books:
The Best Children's Books of the Year, 2002 ; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, August 2001 ; Cahners; United States
Not One Damsel in Distress: World Folktales for Strong Girls
Collected and told by Jane Yolen
Illustrations by Susan Guevara
Peopled with princesses and paupers, kings and their sons, dragons and strange creatures of all sorts, this book trumpets the theory that girls can (and should) tackle anything that happens along and taunts them to withdraw or be afraid. There are many Esthers and Vashtis within its pages. The collection of thirteen (is this a message to disdain fear?) tales from cultures as disparate as Argentina, Japan and the Ozarks of the U.S. features girls of every description who run off, la Joan of Arc or Mulan of Disney fame, to persevere, conquer and ultimately win their reward (usually including, sad to say, the prince of their dreams). One story, The Pirate Princess, designated as "Poland/Jewish" and attributed to Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, has a long publishing history, having first appeared in the Rabbi's Hebrew Sippure Maasiyot (1881) and more recently in Howard Schwartz's Elijah's Violin & Other Jewish Fairy Tales. Every bit as magical and clever as its companion stories, it revolves around the very Jewish concept of bashert, the intended one provided by God, whose designs cannot be thwarted regardless of how long or winding is the road to togetherness. Jane Yolen confesses in her endnotes that she has taken liberties with most of the stories, adding here and changing there. But that is how folktales endure--in the turning and twisting and reflecting of the countries where they first emerge and the migrations they sustain, until nearly every story (and they all appear in many versions, in many volumes) survives with exotic flavorings and delightful discoveries. The book is a good selectiom for the Purim season; so grab it --it's great reading for any time of the year. 2000, Silver Whistle/Harcourt, $17.00. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Judy Chernak
ISBN: 0-15-202047-0
Best Books:
The Best Children's Books of the Year, 2001 ; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, 2001 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2001 ; National Council for the Social Studies; United States
Awards, Honors, Prizes:
ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Award Winner 2001 Special Subjects United States
Storytelling World Awards Winner 2001 Storytelling Anthologies United States
On Purim
Cathy Goldberg Fishman
Illustrated by Melanie W. Hall
Everyone knows so much about Purim, our young storyteller shares with us, except about the masks. Why do we wear masks, she wonders, as she constructs her own? The whole family is involved in holiday preparations, acting out the familiar tale as they work on their costumes, bake the hamantashen, stage an impromptu parade through the house, and read the story from the megillah they made in religious school. But nowhere are masks mentioned--and yet we wear them. Even more strange is that nowhere is the name of God mentioned--and yet the hand of God is apparent everywhere in the story. As the child continues to add elements to her mask, she works out some of the connections about why we hide ourselves. The mixed media pictures are full of royal purples and golds, and they suggest the flavor of ancient and exotic climes, except where they're as homey as your own kitchen today. However, the crucial scene of Esther before the King is flawed by the rendering of her kneeling before him to plead for the lives of her people. With so much emphasis placed on Haman's rage because Mordecai would not bow before anyone except the Lord, it is unfortunate that the artist chose to have Esther assume this position. It is regrettable that the editors did not catch this glaring error. Still, it's a nicely done book from an unusual perspective and young children will surely enjoy it. 2000, Atheneum, $16.00. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Judy Chernak
ISBN: 0-689-82392-4
Best Books:
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, 2001 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Raisel's Riddle
Erica Silverman
Pictures by Susan Gaber
Cinderella meets Rachel the Clever in this non-traditional tale for the Jewish holiday of Purim. The rabbi's princely son discovers ragged Raisel to be his mental match when she poses riddles that challenge even his scholarly mind. The prince's ball is transformed into a Purim party where Raisel dresses as Queen Esther and spouts Talmud learned at her grandfather's knee. The book presupposes a knowledge of Purim customs, but even newcomers will recognize the story strands woven together in a new way. 1999, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $16.00. Ages 5 to 7. Reviewer: Lois Rubin Gross
Raisel is the Jewish Cinderella heroine in Erica Silverman's story. She loves learning, riddles, and her grandfather. When he dies, she refuses to be a burden on those who would care for her, and finds work in a rabbi's house. Uniquely set against a Purim backdrop, Raisel is an unusual Cinderella. She is strong and capable, and she wins the love of the rabbi's kind son, not solely with her beauty. Raisel cautions him, "look not at the flask but at what it contains" and the rabbi's son, enchanted with her wit and passion for learning, marries her. The couple "lived and learned happily ever after." 1999, Farrar Straus Giroux, $16.00. Ages 8 up. Reviewer: Susie Wilde
ISBN: 0-374-36168-1
Best Books:
The Best Children's Books of the Year, 2000 ; Bank Street College of Education; United States
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, 2001 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Notable Books for a Global Society, 2000 ; International Reading Association; United States
Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts, 2000 ; National Council of Teachers of English; United States
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, February 1999 ; Cahners; United States
Recommended Literature: Kindergarten through Grade Twelve, 2002 ; California Department of Education; California
Queen Esther Saves Her People
Retold by Rita Golden Gelman
Illustrated by Frané Lessac
Here is an old story beautifully told, and the magnificent illustrations in this book make it truly lovely. The Jews who lived in Persia in Esther's time were almost fully assimilated with their neighbors. But they practiced their own religion, and that would have been their downfall if Esther had not been queen. Esther, chosen (in a beauty contest) as King Ahasueros' queen, was clever as well as beautiful. The evil prime minister, Haman, would have killed all the Jews, but Esther's uncle Mordechai found out about his plans. When Esther told the king that she, too, would have to die, he had Haman hanged. This is a Jewish story, but the Jews of Persia are not lily-white; they are as diverse as their neighbors--very refreshing! 1998, Scholastic, $15.95. Ages 5 to 10. Reviewer: Judy Silverman
ISBN: 0-590-47025-6
Best Books:
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, 2001 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Queen Esther the Morning Star
Mordicai Gerstein
Gerstein, a namesake of his grandfather as well as the original Mordecai, seems to have a special feeling for the Purim story, for this retelling is one of the best, and the illustrations are sheer delight. There's no question about who are the villains, who are the heroes and heroines, who are the foolish, who are the victorious, and who are the vanquished. Done in guache, the pictures are brightly painted in fine Persian style with a myriad of delicious details to discover on every beautifully bordered page. The author also treats us to Mordecai's dark, deep dream of dragons battling through thunder and lightning until defeated by the rising of the morning star, which is one of the meanings of the name Esther. Children will love his treatment of the plot to kill Ahasuerus, which Mordecai overheard in time to issue a warning and thus be written into the King's Book of Records. All in all, a rousing good story and a fine addition to any library. 2000, Simon & Schuster, $16.00. Ages 5 to 10. Reviewer: Judy Chernak
The story of Esther, heroine of the Jewish celebration of Purim, is retold in a detailed but lively fashion. Her marriage to Ahasueris, king of Persia, the treachery of the wicked Haman, the wisdom of her cousin Mordecai, and finally her courage in facing the king to save her people, are all clearly described and illustrated in ways that suggest an old book--framed scenes of varying sizes on painted pages, colored drawings reminiscent of illuminated manuscripts from the Persian region in their costuming, architectural settings, and flat perspective. Exaggerated gestures and facial features emphasize the happy results and holiday for the Jews rather than the threatened tragedy. An author's note adds background and depth. 2000, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $16.00. Ages 6 to 10. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz
ISBN: 0-689-81372-4
Best Books:
Children's Catalog, Eighteenth Edition, 2001 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, February 2000 ; Cahners; United States
Sammy Spider's First Purim
Sylvia Rouss
Illustrated by Katherine Janus Kahn
Hanging from a spider web gives Sammy a terrific view of everything that goes on in the Shapiro household. Right now, Josh and his mother are making all kinds of strange noises and doing all kinds of unusual things. "MOTHER!" Sammy keeps screaming, "WHAT ARE THEY DOING? WHAT ARE THEY MAKING? CAN I SPIN A GROGGER, TOO?" And his long-suffering mom keeps answering in some variety of "Lower your voice, Sammy. Spiders spin webs, not groggers." It's a familiar situation for both pre-schoolers, who love noisy activities and the sound of their own voices, and parents/teachers, who must beg for lower decibels in order to answer the many questions about upcoming holidays. Curious Sammy ends up inside Josh's grogger, buffeted by the racket-producing buttons stapled in with him, a situation quite reminiscent of the classic K'tonton, who similarly ends up in a hamantash in Sadie Rose Weilerstein's old familiar stories. Kahn's bright pictures are first-rate, with a collage look and eye-popping color to go with the ear-popping noise of the story. Sammy's ultimate compliment from his staple-picking mother is, "YOU ARE OUR VERY OWN NOISEMAKER!" And ours to the illustrator could be, "MY EYES NEED A REST NOW, THANK YOU!" 2000, Kar-Ben, $6.95. Ages 2 to 6. Reviewer: Judy Chernak
ISBN: 1-580130-61-5
ISBN: 1-580130-62-3
Added 03/07/03
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