Customer Reviews

Moishe's Miracle: A Hanukkah Story

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the poor village of Wishniak lived a milkman named Moishe and his wife Baila. He owned only two cows, and earned a meager living but was nevertheless always willing to help others. His wife, on the other hand, had the sharpest tongue in Wishniak.

In early winter one year, when "the wind prowled the icy lanes of the village like a starving jackal," many villagers hungered--including the widow Malka and her ailing son Shmuel, Heshy Fenster and his 13 children and the housebound Bubby (grandmother) Rifka and her cat. The kind and ever-generous Moishe left "an extra quart of milk here, a pint of thick cream there."

The night before Hanukkah, Baila found her money box empty, and blamed her inability to buy eggs, flour and oil to make latkes on Moishe's "foolish generosity." That night, to escape her harangue, he slept in the barn.

Imagine his surprise when his two cows awoke him and told of a stranger who arrived and departed while Moishe slept, leaving behind him tales of magic and adventure and a special gift buried in the hay --- a black frying pan.

When he got home, he told Baila about the night and the gift, which was endowed with a magical property. Of course, she did not believe him, but when Moishe placed the frying pan on the fire, something wonderful happened. (It's a secret.)

The next day, unhappy with the turn of events, Baila hid the Hanukkah candles under her bed, sent Moishe to borrow some more and tried to reproduce the magic feat that Moishe had managed. Of course, since Baila's nature was altogether unkind, the magic she brought on herself was unwelcome indeed. (But that's secret, too.)

Nowadays, visitors to Wishniak come to see the frying pan, which the Rabbi displays under glass. They hope to see some of its magic once again, but precisely what that was and whether it ever again occurred is hidden between the covers of this magnificent book.

The last two pages of the volume share the story of Hanukkah and provide a glossary of eight Yiddish and Hebrew words included in the tale.

---Alyssa A. Lappen

From the moment you pick this book up, you are drawn to the light! The light from the fires, the light from the candles, and the light that shines from Moishe's heart. Slonim's wonderful illustrations have taken this plain text and made it magical! Although this is a Hanukkah story it's message of generosity can be embraced by everyone. My only criticism, is how the white boxes that the text appear in, place too much control on the illustrations. This story is sure to become a holiday classic, right up there with The Polar Express

This book is great! The illustrations are amazing. I like the part where he gets the pan from the cows. The story is good. This is a good book for all ages.

I LOVE this story! I think it's for everyone, Jewish or not, because it is such fun, and be forewarned, it will make you crave potato pancakes. On a more analytical note, it is a great morality tale with an emphasis on the value of generosity. Elementary teachers will love that you can use this story to demonstrate 6 Traits of Writing: the word choice is divine. The artwork is beautiful and shows little details not specifically mentioned, but implied, about Moishe's generosity, like how he is always giving extra milk to the cat and letting a mouse run away with vegetables. Art teachers will be able to point out the use of shadowing and the rule of thirds. Teachers who need a good Character Counts book can use this for kindness, caring, etc. The last two pages give a brief history of Hanukah that is very well explained, and a glossary of the Hebrew and Yiddish words used in the story, so those of us not in the know can tell the story knowledgeably. Yes, it does all that and it's STILL FUN!!! Must read.

Moishe's Miracle: A Hanukkah Story is a charming tale well told and gorgeously illustrated by David Slonim, a fine-art painter who exuberantly applies his considerable skill to chilren's books. Highly recommended!