From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2–A delightful retelling of an Eastern European tale. Joseph is convinced that his house is too small for his family and seeks advice from his clever Aunty Bella. She tells him to bring the six chickens inside and, when that doesnt help, recommends bringing in the rooster, followed by the cow and the goat. As matters get progressively worse, Joseph begins to despair, but when all the animals are finally turned out, the family is happy–with what was theirs all along. Souhami notes that she has substituted a wise aunt for the traditional village rabbi or wise man. Probably best known in picture-book format through Ann McGoverns
Too Much Noise (Houghton, 1967), this tale also appears in Adèle Gerass
My Grandmothers Stories: A Collection of Jewish Folk Tales (Knopf, 2003). Even so, Souhamis lively version will be a welcome addition to picture-book collections. The vibrant colors and strong contrast of the cut-paper shapes against neutral backgrounds provide great visual energy. The simple yet dramatic text makes it especially well suited to reading aloud. Listeners will have to supply some of their own answers from the illustrations as the author describes, rather than tells, what happens with the addition of each animal. Children will love the humor in the pictures as the chickens play cards, read books, and even feed the baby.
–Robin L. Gibson, Granville Parent Cooperative Preschool, OH Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
PreS-Gr. 2. Souhami's adaptation of this eastern European Jewish folktale features a poor man named Joseph, his wife, and three children, who live together in a cramped little house. Joseph seeks advice from wise Aunty Bella, who recommends that he bring his six chickens, his rooster, his cow, and his goat inside. The results are predictably disastrous: the chickens are cheeky, the rooster noisy, the cow clumsy, and the goat smelly. Finally, Aunty Bella gives permission to turn the animals outside again, and, suddenly, the house seems just the right size for Joseph's family. The mixed-media illustrations capture the humor of this classic story as Joseph's house (and family) descends further into chaos with the addition of each new animal. Unlike Margot Zemach's similar tale,
It Could Always Be Worse (1985), there's no mention of Jewish themes in the text, but the illustrations feature subtle ethnic details such as candlesticks and challah. This will make a good choice for story hours, either for telling or picture-book presentation.
Kay WeismanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
