A Mountain of Blintzes [Hardcover]

Barbara Diamond Goldin (Author), Anik McGrory (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2001 | Age Range: 5 - 8 years

Each spring Sarah, Max, and their children look forward to celebrating Shavuot with a mountain of delicious blintzes. But this year Sarah and Max are worried. Their pockets are empty, and with no extra money to spare, how can they afford to make a special treat like blintzes?
Join Barbara Diamond Goldin's funny, big-hearted family in preparation for Shavuot, the Jewish holiday celebrating the day Moses received the Ten Commandments, and discover--as they do in a way that's sure to spark giggles--the true meaning of cooperation.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-A delightful and satisfying tale celebrating the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. According to tradition, Jews are supposed to eat dairy foods to commemorate the day that Moses received the Torah on Mount Sinai, and hardworking Sarah would love to make a mountain of cheese blintzes for her husband and five children. However, with such a large family to feed, she cannot afford to buy all the ingredients, until she comes up with an ingenious plan. For the two weeks preceding the holiday, she and her husband will each work a little extra, every day putting their additional earnings into a special coin box. With both of them saving a little each day, surely they will have enough by Shavuot. Of course, neither Sarah nor Max part with the extra coins, each rationalizing that the other will do so. Ultimately, it is their resourceful children who provide the ingredients for the celebratory mountain of blintzes. Loosely based on a traditional Chelm tale, this story is set in the Catskills in the late 1920s, providing a charming small-town locale for the sunny watercolor illustrations. Utilizing a bright, friendly palette and endearing pink-cheeked characters, the illustrations tell an amusing story within a story, as the children find their own ways to contribute to the Shavuot table. Background notes and recipe are included.-Teri Markson, Stephen S. Wise Temple Elementary School, Los Angeles

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 5-8. On their farm in the Catskills in the 1920s, Sarah and Max plan for Shavuot. It is a time for cleaning house, new clothes, and good food, especially blintzes. The couple agree to work hard and put their money into a coin box, saving for the family holiday. But one thing leads to another and neither saves any coins. Their children, however, are not leaving anything to chance. Clever visual clues in whimsical, full-page watercolor illustrations extend the story, showing the children secretly working at odd jobs to earn money. When Shavuot comes, the penniless parents are rescued by their giggling children, and they all celebrate together. The author's note provides details about this Jewish holiday and about the traditional Chelm stories that inspired this ebullient picture book. And there's also Goldin's family recipe for making the perfect mountain of blintzes. Karen Simonetti
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 5 - 8 years
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books; 1st edition (April 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152019022
• ISBN-13: 978-0152019020
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #709,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #87 in Books > Children's Books > Holidays & Celebrations > Jewish

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A nice story for the whole family March 22, 2013

By J. Chambers TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Shavuot is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the giving of the Laws (the Torah) by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. Traditionally, the Shavuot celebration includes foods made with milk and honey, such as blintzes.

"A Mountain of Blintzes" takes place in the Catskill Mountains of New York in the 1920s. When their oldest son reminds Sarah and Max that Shavuot is approaching, Sarah, who's known for her delicious blintzes (unleavened pancakes similar to crępes), decides to make a mountain of them for the family's observance of Shavuot. Unfortunately, the family is too poor to buy the ingredients needed for blintzes, so Sarah and Max decide to work extra jobs to earn enough money to buy the makings.

Through a miscalculation by both Sarah and Henry, the family's coin box came up empty, despite the long hours each had worked. But instead of being disappointed, the children - who were really looking forward to munching down those blintzes slathered with jam - started giggling. Did they know something that Sarah and Max didn't?

It's an enjoyable story for the whole family, with some marvelous watercolor illustrations. Although the story is based on a Jewish tradition, I think it has a universal appeal.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good story with good traditional graphics April 23, 2013

By C. Park VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Picked this book up without knowing the meaning of Blintzes. It taught me about Blintzes while reading to my daughter. It was a good educational story on the Jewish holiday. We're not Jewish, but it was educational and the the book did a good job at telling a fun engagin story for a child. I like the traditional graphics they used rather than the high tech computer graphics these days. It reminded me of books that i used to read when I was a child.

4.0 out of 5 stars A modern retelling of the Polish "Town of Fools" April 17, 2013

By Rachel Himes

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

If you like cultural diversity or celebrate Jewish holidays, this is a lovely story to share with your children. My 5 and 7 year old enjoyed it very much. It spurred them to ask a lot of questions about Torah, Jewish Holy Days and other new and unfamiliar parts of the book.
The scene is a poor Jewish family. Their oldest son is learning about Shavuot in Hebrew school. He mentions that in 2 weeks the celebration is coming. Suddenly mom remembers that they need to be making preparations if they are going to assemble the traditional "Mountain of Blintzes" for the special day. But there's a problem. Money.
Mom and Dad agree to take extra chores for their neighbors in order to set the money aside. They will each work a little harder for just 2 weeks and put their extra coins into a mutual coin box for the special celebration.
The intentions are good, but both characters decide that it would be okay to hold back a bit for some other needs they have like dress clothes and new shoes for the kids. After all, what the other spouse earns should be enough to pay for the blintzes.
Then preparation day arrives and there's nothing in the box.
I had to pause the story here for a moment to talk to my children about integrity. It was Mom in the story who came up with the idea and Dad felt he couldn't get around it. But it was both of them who did not keep their promise. Instead of talking about a change to the arrangement, they were deceitful with each other. I found that part of the story disturbing, but I also like that it was their deceitfulness that created the problem in the story.
There is a solution, but it requires everyone's help. I won't give it away.
I like that this is a story about a family. So many children's books are about kids or animals or travel, or space, or other things that fascinate kids. This one was about a family who loved each other and worked together to deal with their problem.
In an age where so many kids books and shows present children as independent of their parents (like Dora) and authority figures are all in the background, this story shows a family acting as a family. I really like that aspect.
I would recommend this one, but don't miss the chance to show your kids a lesson about honesty.