Milk and honey: a year of jewish holidays [Hardcover]

Jane Yolen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 27, 1996 | Age Level: 9 and up

Designed to help readers experience each holiday during the Jewish calendar year, a collection includes information regarding customs, stories, poems, songs with piano and guitar accompianment, and a play for Sukkot, Chanukah, Purim, Pesach, Savuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the Sabbath.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-Yolen takes readers through the traditional Jewish calendar year beginning with Rosh Hashanah and ending with the weekly celebration of the Sabbath. The history and most important aspects of the observances are accompanied by evocative poems, traditional songs and stories, and a playlet for Purim. The illustrations and decorations are richly done in warm, lush colors that add to the general festivity. Malka Drucker's Family Treasury of Jewish Holidays (Little, 1994) is more complete, including "new" holidays, such as Yom Hashoah, which commemorates the Holocaust, as well as crafts and recipes. However, the general attractiveness and warmth of Yolen's book, the original poetry, and the clear explanations of the holidays commend it for any collection.
Amy Kellman, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-6, younger for reading aloud. August's illustrations catch you first: their stark black outlines, inky details, and old-world charm immediately draw the eye. The text is a fine match for them, nicely written, with a bit of speculation here and there or a funny anecdote or telling quote. Beginning with Rosh Hashanah, Yolen outlines the history and practice of the eight most celebrated holidays on the Jewish calendar, then gives readers a taste of the literature. She includes original as well as traditional selections carefully keyed to the celebration--folk tales, poems, plays, and songs, with music scored for guitar and piano. The combination makes her book wonderful for introducing the Jewish holidays to a student group (though source notes are sketchy) and excellent for family sharing. Stephanie Zvirin

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (August 27, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399226524
• ISBN-13: 978-0399226526
• Product Dimensions: 21 x 0.6 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,077,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born and raised in New York City, Jane Yolen now lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts. She attended Smith College and received her master's degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. The distinguished author of more than 170 books, Jane Yolen is a person of many talents. When she is not writing, Yolen composes songs, is a professional storyteller on the stage, and is the busy wife of a university professor, the mother of three grown children, and a grandmother. Active in several organizations, Yolen has been on the Board of Directors of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, was president of the Science Fiction Writers of America from 1986 to 1988, is on the editorial board of several magazines, and was a founding member of the Western New England Storytellers Guild, the Western Massachusetts Illustrators Guild, and the Bay State Writers Guild. For twenty years, she ran a monthly writer's workshop for new children's book authors. In 1980, when Yolen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree by Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, the citation recognized that "throughout her writing career she has remained true to her primary source of inspiration--folk culture." Folklore is the "perfect second skin," writes Yolen. "From under its hide, we can see all the shimmering, shadowy uncertainties of the world." Folklore, she believes, is the universal human language, a language that children instinctively feel in their hearts. All of Yolen's stories and poems are somehow rooted in her sense of family and self. The Emperor and the Kite, which was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1983 for its intricate papercut illustrations by Ed Young, was based on Yolen's relationship with her late father, who was an international kite-flying champion. Owl Moon, winner of the 1988 Caldecott Medal for John Schoenherr's exquisite watercolors, was inspired by her husband's interest in birding. Yolen's graceful rhythms and outrageous rhymes have been gathered in numerous collections. She has earned many awards over the years: the Regina Medal, the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Award, the Society of Children's Book Writers Award, the Mythopoetic Society's Aslan Award, the Christopher Medal, the Boy's Club Jr. Book Award, the Garden State Children's Book Award, the Daedalus Award, a number of Parents' Choice Magazine Awards, and many more. Her books and stories have been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Afrikaans, !Xhosa, Portuguese, and Braille. With a versatility that has led her to be called "America's Hans Christian Andersen," Yolen, the child of two writers, is a gifted and natural storyteller. Perhaps the best explanation for her outstanding accomplishments comes from Jane Yolen herself: "I don't care whether the story is real or fantastical. I tell the story that needs to be told."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Full bodied fresh milk, and very sweet honey, September 28, 2005

By 

Rabbi F. A. Natkin (Central Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Milk and honey: a year of jewish holidays (Hardcover)

My favorite artist is Louise August as when I was a poor rabbinical student my Mom died. All I could afford to memorialize her passing was a numbered signed lithograph of a lady lighting Shabbat candles. It was by Louise August. I thought that the lady depicted was the essential spirit of my Mom. It is now over 40 years later, and I still take pleasure in looking at pictures which capture Judaism in a positive, colorful and nostalgic way. The words, stories, poems and comments compiled in this short explanation of the Jewish holidays come from a variety of sources. Even after 34 years of being a rabbi, there were new insights, tastes of the past, and visions of the future which add to my spirituality. It is not a perfect score for the stories might be too rich for some, and honey of the pictures is way too sweet. Israel Independence Day, Holocaust Remembrance Day and minor holidays are not mentioned or depicted. For a quiok short snack, especially at the holiday time, this "nosh" of knowledge is quite acceptable.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Christian Review, March 17, 2011

By 

Will Riddle "and Jaime Riddle" (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Milk and honey: a year of jewish holidays (Hardcover)

I am not Jewish, so I apologize in advance if any of my comments seem ignorant. I am only just getting into Jewish customs and religion.

I love Jane Yolen's stories, so I picked up this book for a Christian homeschooling unit on Jewish holidays. I appreciated the easy narration style and illustrations of this book. But I was a little surprised when I read the Pesach chapter (the only holiday I have read a lot of kids' books on). She said that the children were supposed to steal the afikomen and hide it from the adults, who would hunt for it? And that that represented the little bit of child within all of us? I had never heard that before, so I wasn't sure about that (although the idea that some families would practice the holiday differently makes sense).

I was also surprised to see her illustration of the seder table with turkey/chicken, pastries, and other things on it alongside the seder plate. Is that correct? It's a big feast?

I think the only thing that bothered me though, as a Christian, was the story in her Yom Kippur section where the moral is that only adults need to weep and repent of their sins. The story she includes says "But children, who have not sinned at all, should not be left to cry." I am not sure whether this represents true Jewish theology, but that is definitely not a message appropriate for Christians. While I certainly believe that children should be dealt with gently and carefully in the area of sin and conviction (or any other adult topic), they should not be taught that they are above sin and accountability. Or that they are better than adults in this way.