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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A clever way to introduce the immigrant experience., May 19, 1999
By A Customer
A grandfather tells his grandaughter tall tales about each stage in his immigration to the U.S. and his early life in New York. Then the grandmother deflates each tale and explains how things really were back then. I find this two-step process to be a clever way to teach children about the experience which their grandparents went through, first hooking them with a silly story, and then hitting them with the facts. The book is especially useful for reading aloud to children whose grandparents can no longer tell the story themselves, or for inspiring children to ask their grandparents about their experience. This is a rather matter-of-fact review, so I should add that my children and I find this book funny and endearing, and have read it together many times.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Castle on Hester Street, November 20, 2007
This review is from: The Castle on Hester Street (Hardcover)
A comparison review between the old version and the new:
The Castle on Hester Street by Linda Heller, a Sydney Taylor Book Award winner, was originally published in 1982 with illustrations by the author. Typical of the era, it features a limited palette of muted colors, used effectively within black and white line drawings. Now, a newly illustrated version by Boris Kulikov offers an expansive full color visual interpretation of the original text. Young Julie is visiting her grandparents, and is treated to her grandfather's tall tale version of his life history, with many interruptions and corrections from her grandmother. He tells of a singing goat named Moishe who brought him to America, and of the jewel-encrusted buttons he sold from his pushcart that were big enough to use as sleds. Grandmother, of course, insists on a more accurate history. In Heller's illustrations, a clean white background focuses attention on the characters, while Kulikov's more atmospheric scenes are filled with colorful, surreal detail. Both styles have their advantages. The original pictures, clearer and more directly illustrative of the text, work well for a librarian or teacher sharing the book with a large group. The new pictures offer a more satisfying experience for an individual reader to savor at leisure. They are whimsical, even fantastical, with unusual perspectives and very effective use of light. The grandparents as pictured by Heller are sweet, round-faced individuals. Grandfather is clean-shaven and wears a yarmulke. Kulikov makes them leaner and more energetic, adding a long Judaic-style beard to grandfather's face, but surprisingly, removing his yarmulke and depicting him bareheaded in several scenes. All in all, this updated version offers visually striking illustrations with a lot of pizazz and energy. Don't throw out your old version, but do add this attractive new edition to your shelf. For ages 5-9. Reviewed by Heidi Estrin
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Enough is enough, December 2, 2001
It's sad that great children's books go out of print of so often.
This one is about a grandfather's tall tales. He joshed his granddaughter Julie about Hershel the famous astronomer, who discovered the moon is a matzah ball. And Bessie, who used her exceedingly long braids as jumping rope.
And Moishe, the goat from his village in Russia, who pulled his wagon all the way to America --- 9,092 miles, singing a certain famous song all the way.
But grandpa's best tale was about his real trip on a packed steamer to America, and meeting Julie's grandmother Rose.
Of course, he couldn't keep himself from embellishing the story for long, and soon wove in nonsense about a castle on Hester Street, so tall that pigeons couldn't fly to the roof and had to be carried by ladder. And since he was a button peddler, he told Julie of buttons made from diamonds and gold, buttons big as saucers, and buttons used as sleds.
Our copy was a hand-me-down from family, and since there is little chance of finding another, there is no chance we'll ever part with it.
--- Alyssa A. Lappen
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