Beautiful Yetta: The Yiddish Chicken [Hardcover]

Daniel Pinkwater (Author), Jill Pinkwater (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: May 25, 2010 | Age Range: 3 - 7 years | Lexile Measure: 350L (What's this?)

Yetta, beautiful Yetta, manages to escape from the butcher’s shop. But now she is lost in Brooklyn—a strange place filled with rude rats and dangerous buses!

!??????

geVAHLT!

Oh, dear!

But then, brave Yetta saves a small green bird from a sneaky cat, and his friends, the wild parrots of Brooklyn, are very grateful.

           

                        ¡Muchas gracias, gallina hermosa!

                        ¡mooCHAS grahSEEas, gahYEEna ehrMOsa!

                        Thank you very much, beautiful chicken!

Has beautiful Yetta found her new home?

Inspired by real events, this multilingual story is a witty, warm, and wonderful read-aloud for any age.  

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2–As Mr. Flegleman, an organic chicken rancher, unloads his crates in front of Phil's Poultry World, one brave and clever fowl, determined not to become Friday night's dinner, manages to escape. Unfortunately, beautiful Yetta is homesick and lonely in Brooklyn. The rats and pigeons tell her to get lost, and she almost gets hit by a bus. When she saves a little green bird, Eduardo, from a cat, she gains new friends and a family among the parrots on the telephone wires, and they teach her how to find fruit and crusts of pizza. While the narration is in English, Yetta's dialogue is in Yiddish, and the parrots speak Spanish (both with English translations and transliterations). The comical marker and ink illustrations enhance the text, but, without the language gimmick, there isn't much to the story. However, this would make for an entertaining reader's theater, especially with authentic Yiddish and Spanish accents. And dedicated fans of the Pinkwaters will appreciate the offbeat, wry humor, as will those interested in the many urban legends surrounding Brooklyn's flocks of wild parrots. Unlike Dave Horowitz's Five Little Gefiltes (Putnam, 2007) and Simms Taback's Kibitzers and Fools (Viking, 2005), which introduce children to the joys of Yiddish, the Pinkwaters'offering may have trouble reaching a wide audience.Rachel Kamin, North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, Highland Park, IL
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

With wry humor, this multilingual picture book tells the story of a brave chicken, Yetta. Determined that she will not be soup, she escapes from a delivery crate and runs into the streets of Brooklyn. The bright images, highlighted against plenty of white space, contrast small Yetta with the towering skyscrapers of her new urban landscape. She misses her farm home as she tries to avoid huge buses and tough mice, and she gets no help from the city birds. Then she saves a little green parrot from a pouncing cat, and the wild parrots who witness the act welcome her and show her how to find food. Yetta speaks Yiddish (gevahlt!), and her speech is printed in both Hebrew and English alphabets with the English translation. The rich language mix does not stop there, though. The parrots speak Spanish, and their dialogue, shown in italics, includes a pronunciation guide. A warm twist on the immigration story that celebrates the richness of urban diversity. Preschool-Grade 2. --Hazel Rochman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 3 - 7 years
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Feiwel & Friends; 1 Blg edition (May 25, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312558244
• ISBN-13: 978-0312558246
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 10.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #487,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Daniel Pinkwater lives with his wife, the illustrator and novelist Jill Pinkwater, and several dogs and cats in a very old farmhouse in New York's Hudson River Valley.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My kids love this book! May 26, 2010

By Maria S.

Format:Hardcover

We received this book through PJ library, and it quickly went to the top of the nighttime reading list for my 2 and 3 year olds. They love the story, they love repeating the Yiddish and Spanish after me (their favorite phrase is "farstunkene katz!"), and the story leads to lots of questions from them as well (Why do the birds eat pizza from the garbage? Why can't Yetta stand on the telephone wire?"). It's fun to read aloud as well, and the English is simple enough for my 3 year old to read independently, yet not so simple that it puts me to sleep. A delight.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I Love This Book October 2, 2010

By Julie Coelho

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

How much do I love this book? Enough to read it to my mixed group of preschoolers,most of whom don't understand either Yiddish or Spanish. However, they too love this book.
It's a sweet and loving story (YAY! Daniel and Jill Pinkwater!) and my hope is that they all will love books and reading as much as I do.
Next book? Ice Cream Larry. Same author and illustrator!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Charming Tale September 22, 2010

By mawinn

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy "Yetta." I had heard the author read the story aloud on NPR and enjoyed the humor and multicultural flavor of the text. It is an imaginative slice of urban life. Upon purchasing the book, I found the colorful illustrations delightful. So far I've shared the book with Yiddish speaking adults and Spanish speaking toddlers, and both groups have really enjoyed it. A nice addition to a child's library.