A Journey to Paradise and Other Jewish Tales: And Other Jewish Tales [Hardcover]

Howard Schwartz (Author), Giora Carmi (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1999

The folktales in this collection offer traditional jewish answers to some of the age-old questions that children of all cultures ask their elders: How are we judged by God?

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A talented folklorist, Schwartz (Elijah's Violin & Other Jewish Fairy Tales) culls eight little-known stories from Sephardic and Eastern European Jewish lore. All have a mystical bent: a rabbi's daughter travels in her dreams to the Garden of Eden to retrieve an apple that will save the life of the ailing daughter of a Turkish sultan; a Yemenite midwife is brought to the Kingdom of Demons to deliver a baby. In the one purely comic tale, a poor man tricks the fools of Chelm by claiming to bring a message from their dead. The stories are well told, but they lack the supporting material that mainstream readers will need. For example, references to such concepts as "the thirty-six righteous ones" go unexplained, and the cultural traditions may be puzzling (Why would a midwife be rewarded for bringing a demon into the world?). Unfortunately, Carmi's (The Miracle of the Potato Latkes) illustrations address only the most obvious elements of the plots, failing to tap into the many moods Schwartz evokes. Rendered in thick strokes of overly strong colors, the perspectives distorted, they look more crude than folkish. Ages 6-9. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-These eight magical tales reflect on the aspirations, mores, problems, and humor of the Jewish people. Drawn from the Israel Folktale Archives, the selections come from Eastern Europe, Tunisia, Israel, and Yemen. "The Flight of the Midwife" demonstrates that in Yemen, the midwife was noted for her courage, wisdom, and impartiality, even to the extent of attending to the birth of a female demon in the form of a cat. "A Student in Magic" has a familiar theme: that one need not travel far to seek the "prize," as it is usually nearby. The title story demonstrates the veneration held by Hasidic followers for their rabbis, even attributing magic powers to them. "An Apple from the Tree of Life" relates how the Jews strove to please a ruler so that he would leave them in peace. In "A Messenger from the World to Come," a poor trickster uses the gullibility of the Chelmites to obtain clothing for his family by saying that he is from "The World to Come" and that their deceased loved ones haverequested warm winter clothing. Schwartz is a master storyteller and Carmi is a proven illustrator, guaranteeing that this book will be a popular choice for a wide audience.
Marcia W. Posner, Holocaust Memorial and Educational Center of Nassau County, Glen Cove, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 45 pages
• Publisher: Simcha Media Group (NJ) (December 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0943706211
• ISBN-13: 978-0943706214
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,917,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the Journey, May 28, 2000

By 

D.R. Russell "Russ" (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Journey to Paradise and Other Jewish Tales: And Other Jewish Tales (Hardcover)

This book has many Jewish tales/ They all enthralled me, without fail/ The pictures are a true delight/ They paint a special splendid sight!