The Mouse in the Matzah Factory [Paperback]

Francine Medoff (Author), Nicole in Den Bosch (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

A mouse observes wheat being harvested, ground into flour, mixed into dough, and baked into matzah.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-This story describes the preparation of shmurah matzah, eaten by observant Jews during Passover. A cheerful mouse in denim overalls has his curiosity whetted when some men build a fence around a field of wheat and carefully watch over it. The little creature follows along as the wheat is taken to a mill, trucked to a city, and taken to a room to be mixed, rolled, and baked. After he sees families lined up to buy the boxes of "baked circles," he reads a box label that describes how the matzah "has been watched from the time of harvest through the time of baking." The mouse, too, has viewed the entire process and feels "very important." The writing is pedestrian and the full-page watercolor illustrations are uninspired. This title, with its mix of fact and fiction, will not be useful in Jewish schools and does not contain enough information for others who might want to read about the holiday.
Susan Pine, New York Public Library
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 3. Rainbows of soft colors paint the patterned fabrics, the bustling city scenes, and the tranquil rural fields in which a curious mouse's attention is drawn to men giving special care to one field of wheat. The intrigued rodent follows this meticulously groomed wheat as it is cut by hand, drawn by horse, and milled by huge wheels into flour. Then the mouse hides among the flour sacks on the truck that transports him to the city and to a bakery where the flour is made into matzah for Passover. First published in 1983, Medoff's appealing text receives minimal editing, but its pictures are greatly rejuvenated. Gone are the previous edition's matzah-colored pages and unattractive caricatures. Bosch's characters, though dressed as observant Jews, look generic rather than stereotypic, and even Mouse gets and appealing makeover in this lighthearted redesign of a Passover story staple. Ellen Mandel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Kar-Ben Publishing (January 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580130488
• ISBN-13: 978-1580130486
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,242,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Our Passover Favorite, April 27, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Mouse in the Matzah Factory (Paperback)

Very acurately describes the process of making handmade shmurah (watched/guarded) matzah, from the the time of growing the wheat to baking the matzah. A curious little mouse follows the entire process. We love the black ink illustrations by David Goldstein, however this edition is out of print There is a new version available with new full color art, but I have not seen it yet.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kosher for Pessach, March 29, 2002

By 

Alyssa A. Lappen (Earth) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Mouse in the Matzah Factory (Hardcover)

Once upon a time lived a mouse who lived in a wheat field in the country. One day men came and built a fence around the field and watched over the growing wheat. They watered the field, weeded it and waited for the wheat to ripen. The mouse wondered what was so special about this particular wheat.

At last the men harvested the ripened wheat, bundled it and loaded it onto a wagon. They worked carefully to keep it dry.

The mouse, curious as a cat, decided to find out what was going on. So he jumped on the wagon and rode to the mill, where he found a hole in the door from which he could watch as huge grinding wheels crushed the harvest into fine flour, and poured it into new sacks and loaded them onto another truck.

Hidden in the sacks, he rode for a long time aboard the truck to the city, crowded with people, cars and trucks. Here the truck stopped at a place called Goldstein's Matzah Factory, where an inspector checked to see that every sack was completely dry.

From a window ledge, he watched as factory workers inside unloaded the sacks, brought in buckets of water and mixed the water and flour and rolled it out into flat sheets punched full of holes.

I can't tell you what happened on the last eight pages of this 34-page book. But kids will learn from this cute book how matzah is made, and what exactly makes it kosher for Pessach.

As an added plus, they will enjoy the fine pen and ink art. The book's cover resembles a sheet of egg matzah. And inside are fetching illustrations, reminiscent of the evocative drawings in Homer Price. Alyssa A. Lappen

3.0 out of 5 stars Cute but a bit over their heads., April 16, 2011

By 

Mara Engelson "Ophelia333" (Fl, U.S.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Mouse in the Matzah Factory (Paperback)

A story about a mouse going on an adventure is always a hit with the 2 year olds in my class, but the message in this one is a bit over their heads. Don't expect a small child to understand how the wheat is watched for Passover Matzah, but do expect them to enjoy this book. There aren't many books for very young children to enjoy that teach the Passover story well, so I would still reccomend getting this book. I know that Pre-K kids do very well with this book. Just be mindful of the age group you're buying this for.