When (most of) these stories of Danny and the Jewish holidays appeared in Highlights for Children in the Fifties, Sydney Taylor's All-of-a-Kind Family series was almost the only presentation of Jewish family life on library shelves; and to explain the holidays, librarians usually reached for Florence Mary Fitch's all-enlightening One God. The stories are still pleasant, thanks to Taylor's identification with kids and her storytelling skills; but alongside the competition (both fiction and nonfiction), they can't but seem mild, even tepid, and all-too-obvious. Still, gentle fictionalized instruction has never been altogether out of favor with kids (or, certainly, their parents), and may even be making a comeback; so there may be a place for Danny's first, unsuccessful attempt to blow the shofar (on Rosh Hashanah), his decision to patch up a quarrel with good-friend Bobby (on Yom Kippur), his gleeful "theft" of Grandpa's precious piece of matzo (on the first evening of Passover). Much of the content consists, however, of explanation by various adults: "On Hamishah Asar Bishevat," says Sunday School teacher Miss Strum, "we eat the fruits that grow in Israel to show our love for our ancient land." But, again, the warmth of feeling and the general vitality of the telling will effectively counter the didacticism—for many.
Pub Date: Dec. 3, 1981
ISBN: 0525285105
Page Count: 70
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1981
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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