Cakes and Miracles (Viking Kestrel picture books) [Hardcover]

Barbara Diamond Goldin (Author), Erika Weihs (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Series: Viking Kestrel picture books

As Purim approaches, blind Hershel wishes he could help his mother prepare for the holiday. "If only I could see," he says. Then one night in his dreams, Hershel has a vision of a winged angel descending a sparkling ladder. What the angel tells him--and what Hershel sees in his dreams--leads to an exciting surprise for the whole village.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in an unnamed Eastern European village, this story of the joyous Jewish holiday of Purim has all the richness and the cadence of a classic folktale. Young Hershel may be blind, but he has plenty of spunk, and he's determined to help his mother with the baking of the traditional Purim hamantashen , pastries she sells in the marketplace. His offers are gently rejected, for how can a blind boy bake? When a visitant angel encourages him in a dream, however, the results are far better than anything either Hershel or his mother could have imagined. Goldin's prose is superb, and Weihs's illustrations--possessing a naive quality reminiscent of Barbara Cooney's art--bolster the story's old-world flavor and charm. An explanation of the Purim celebration and a recipe for hamantashen are included at the end. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3-- Hershel , blinded by a childhood illness, is bored and misbehaves in school. What he loves to do most is mold the mud on the riverbank into imaginary landscapes. One night, he dreams that an angel tells him to make what he sees in his imagination; drawn to the malleable dough in his mother's kitchen, so much like the cool mud of the river bank, he sculpts cookies in the shapes of the marvelous images he sees in his mind, and helps his mother sell them for Purim. This original tale, set in Eastern Europe in the late 19th century, satisfies on many levels. The fluid writing has grace and beauty. The plot development can be attributed to Weihs's expressive illustrations that project the yearning of this young boy not to be bound by his blindness and the love between mother and son. The book's theme of the strength of the human spirit in overcoming affliction is universal; its wonderful depiction of the exuberant celebration of Purim will be welcome in public and special libraries. Appended is the story of Purim and a recipe for hamantashen , those delectable three cornered pastries. Weihs's perfectly composed, folk-type illustrations are rich, yet subtle. Colors are muted grays, greens, blues, rose, umber, and terra cotta, painted in oils on board. Outstanding. --Marcia Posner, Federation of New York and the Jewish Book Council, New York City
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile; 1St Edition edition (January 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067083047X
• ISBN-13: 978-0670830473
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,885,843 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Lesson!, March 6, 2001

By 

N. R. Johnson (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cakes and Miracles (Viking Kestrel picture books) (Hardcover)

I was disappointed to see that this book is out of print and hard to get. I read it to a group of children last week that were totally spellbound from the beginning to the end. It is difficult to find Purim books that deviate from the traditional "Esther and Haman" story of the Megillah. This book took a totally different angle, focusing on human worth. The little boy in this story made his disability (blindness) secondary, and showed his town (and the reader) that a disability is only one if viewed as such. He found other ways of contributing to his community. Find this one if you can.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Find!, March 6, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Cakes and Miracles (Viking Kestrel picture books) (Hardcover)

What a disappointment to find out that this book is out of print. It is refreshing to find a book that diverses from the usual Purim tales about Haman or Purim costumes. This story can be used in many circumstances in which a person can overcome adversity to contribute positively in the community around them. Herschel is blind, but finds other ways to be productive in a world that has him labeled. My students were totally spellbound as I read to them. Great story.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A dream come true, May 1, 2002

By 

Alyssa A. Lappen (Earth) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cakes and Miracles (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

Hershel was a bit of a teivele (devil). He was the only boy in his village who could not see, but that did not stop him from making mischief, as boys will do.

He behaved well in school, but grew bored when the others practiced their writing; that was when he pulled a frog from his pocket and let it loose to revel in hearing the teacher, Reb Shimmel, jump up and down and dance around the frog.

He caught his frogs at the river, his favorite place in the town. There he had frogs, water, and friends--and mud to play in besides, He loved building tunnels and mountains in the smooth cool mud, and often came home dirty.

His mother Basha would scold him for getting so dirty, for it made more work on top of all she had to do to keep them clothed and fed since Hershel's father had died.

This year when Purim came, he wanted more than anything to help his mother make the Hamantashen--shaped like Haman's hat--the cakes that they would carry from house to house as sweet gifts to remember the joyful victory of good over evil so long ago in Shushan. His mother told him that to help, a person needed eyes.

Hershel climbed into bed, said the Shema, and whispered his prayer to God, to be able to really help his mother. That night he dreamed of an angel descending on a silver ladder, who bent and spoke to him. "Make what you see," she told him. "But I don't see," he protested. "The doctor from Kotsk said I shall never see again."

When Hershel awoke the next day, he told his mother the story from his dream, and determined to help her shape the Purim cookies that year--by feeling.

Guidelines prevent me from telling precisely what happened in the last 12 pages of this story--but it's quite a tale. And, as the song says, Purim was "a happy holiday, What a happy holiday!"

The book also includes a two-page summary of the Story of Esther and a recipe for Hamantashen. Alyssa A. Lappen