The Adventures of Hershel of Ostropol [Paperback]

Trina Schart Hyman (Illustrator), Eric A. Kimmel (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1998 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Stories about a clever man who lived by his wits as his pockets were always empty.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ten Yiddish folktales set in 19th-century Ukraine star a witty nomad, famous for sayings like "God must love poor people. Why else would He make so many of them?" Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9?Ten superbly retold Hershel of Ostropol tales, many of which are unavailable in popular collections. In "What Hershel's Father Did," Kimmel resurrects Hershel's reputation from that presented in Jacqueline D. Greene's What His Father Did (Houghton, 1992). "Money from a Table" and "The Candlesticks" are variations on a similar scheme: taking advantage of a miser's greed. "Potatoes!" is similar to Vicky Shiefman's Sunday Potatoes, Monday Potatoes (S.&S, 1994); but where that version is sweet, Kimmel's is ironic. The funniest tale by far is "The Miracle," a commentary on the misplaced values of a community that has money to pay for a burial, but not for keeping a starving family alive. "An Incredible Story" and "The Cow" play out the tricky relationships between the Jews of Eastern Europe and their Christian neighbors, both nobles and peasants alike. "The Cow" is similar to Isaac Bashevis Singer's story of the goat that didn't give milk. A black-and-white vignette adorns each selection. The book closes with more of Hershel's sayings, redolent with Yiddish humor.?Marcia W. Posner, Holocaust Memorial and Educational Center of Nassau County, Glen Cove, NY
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823414043
• ISBN-13: 978-0823414048
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #775,955 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #79 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > European

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lesson to learn from a tricky man, November 19, 2004

By 

Tara Scarlett "simogene" (Raynham, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Adventures of Hershel of Ostropol (Paperback)

I read from this book often to my pre-schoolers. Yes, it takes effort to explain and question them until they understand the plot of each story. But they love them so much we repeat each tale many times, until at the end of the school year, they are telling Hershel stories to me!

The kid's favorites? The Gooses's Foot (because they relate to Hershel being a small boy) and The Candlesticks (because they like the part where Hershel says the candlesticks died.)

Though they are much younger than the recomended age for this book, I have found over the last few years that not a single 4 or five year old has not enjoyed these stories. And without the pictures in most children's books, they are forced to imagine what Hershel, Yente, Rabbi Iseral, and Uncle Zalman look like. We've had nothing but fun with this one!

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very funny!!, November 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Adventures of Hershel of Ostropol (Hardcover)

This book is very entertaining! It is about a poor person who finds clever ways to get his basic needs met. This book is a good read for young readers like me!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "trickster" character from the perspective of East European Jews, November 24, 2010

By 

Charles Ashbacher (Marion, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Adventures of Hershel of Ostropol (Hardcover)

All cultures have tales of folklore based on their common experiences, some of which are based on real persons. Hershel of Ostropol was a real person that did live for a time in the tiny European village of Ostropol. His role was that of the shochet or Jewish ritual slaughterer, the man that followed the tradition that kept the meat kosher. These tales embody the common concept of the petty con man, a person that uses slight of hand and language in order to get money from the local rich people.
Hershel is portrayed as a very poor man, regularly down to his last ruble and crust of bread. His scams are designed to manipulate others and involve some very precise speech, tall tales, an unusual twist on the "money from nothing" story and even how a simple con man can talk his way into heaven.
The main points of the stories here are found in the folklore of many cultures, men of deceptive characters seem to be a universal component of all cultures. In this case, the perpetrator is a poor Jew of Eastern Europe, so the perspective of the stories is placed in an interesting context.