Customer Reviews

Rabbi Harvey vs. the Wisdom Kid: A Graphic Novel of Dueling Jewish Folktales in the Wild West

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Here's the puzzle: How does an author of history textbooks convince American kids that traditional Jewish folklore is cool?

Historian Steve Sheinkin solved the problem this way: He created Rabbi Harvey of the Wild West comic books. His graphic novels contain real-life Jewish wisdom embodied in a tough, tall, black-garbed hero who looks like Clint Eastwood's Jewish cousin--except that Harvey always shoots from his brain, never from his hip.

Sheinkin's third book-length comic, "Rabbi Harvey vs. the Wisdom Kid," poses the toughest challenge yet for the clever young rabbi--another clever young rabbi! Their running confrontation brings Harvey to his knees--once again in classic Hollywood Western style.

Sheinkin's overall goal is a revival of interest in Jewish folklore, and---even more than that---he wants to show readers that there are solutions to violent challenges that don't involve escalating the violence. His lifelong love of American history lights up especially around those moments when men and women found clever solutions to defuse crises. (If you want to sample his approach to getting kids interested in pure history, check out his prose book on the American West: Which Way to the Wild West?: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About Westward Expansion)

When Sheinkin sketches his hero Harvey, the drawings may look a bit like Clint Eastwood---but the overall storylines hark back to classic Hollywood Westerns and timeless spiritual themes. Rabbi Harvey's moral compass is more Moses than Eastwood's Man Without a Name. Rabbi Harvey doesn't part waters, but he dodges plenty of fists, knives, bullets and nooses by fearlessly drawing on the sheer wit and wisdom of Jewish literature.

This is the third humorous graphic novel by Steve Sheinkin in which he portrays the adventures of Rabbi Harvey in the Wild West, at a fictitious time when all the people he meets are Jewish. There is no shooting of guns, only shooting with one's mouth, with wise statements. Sheinkin won an award for one of his earlier versions. He derives his stories from ancient Jewish tales that show humor and wisdom, and he rewrites them and applies them to the Wild West Rabbi Harvey. He tells us in this volume that he used nine stories to depict the encounter between Rabbi Harvey and Rabbi Rubin, known as the Wisdom Kid. All of the episodes and the graphics are clever and humorous. One graphic, for example, depicts the local bar as "Gefilte Gil - Saloon & Fish Bar.

Rabbi Rubin had been studying back east and has become quite proficient in Jewish wisdom. He comes to town wanting to displace Rabbi Harvey who had been giving advice to people and resolving their problems for nothing. Even at the town fair, he set up a booth to answer any question for five cents, or nothing if he is unable to do so. The Wisdom Kid sets up his own booth and offers the same service for one cent. The wisdom Kid is knowledgeable, but he is deceptive and he wants to milk the people for money, charging for his advice when he replaces Rabbi Harvey.

An example of the humor: a town decides to hang a baker for a crime even though everyone knew that the blacksmith did the crime. Why? Because the town had only one blacksmith, but it has two bakers. The story goes on to tell how Rabbi Harvey saved the baker's life by being clever.

Another example: Two villains are being tested to determine if one of them is suitable to be the sheriff. Which is more important, they are asked, the sun or the moon? Answer: The moon. Why? Because the sun gives light when it's already light, but the moon gives light when it is dark. Question: Everybody knows that if you drop a slice of buttered bread, it will always fall with the buttered side down. Why then did it happen yesterday that the bread fell with the buttered side up? Answer: Simple. You buttered your bread on the wrong side. The person giving these answers got the job.

The Wisdom Kid and his mother "Bad Bubbe" Bloom devise a plot where Rabbi Harvey is arrested for robbery. They are assisted by the self-proclaimed genius "Big Milt" Wasserman. Sheinkin describes how Rabbi Harvey is able to outwit his guards, escape with the help of the town's school teacher, a woman he wants to marry, and returns to his home town Elk Spring, Colorado, to show in a duel of wisdom that he is smarter and more fit to serve as the rabbi than the Wisdom Kid.

Rabbi Harvey finds himself in a bind in his third graphic novel adventure. Two of his previous foes--"Bad Bubbe" Bloom and "Big Milt" Wasserman--team up to make Bad Bubbe's son, Rabbi "Wisdom Kid" Rubin, the only rabbi in town. Is Rabbi Harvey's wisdom quick enough and sharp enough to prevail? And will he ever win the hand of the fair gold miner/school teacher Abigail?

Sheinkin's most recent Rabbi Harvey book is as fun and enlightening as his previous works: The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey and Rabbi Harvey Rides Again. While the combination of a Wild West setting and ancient Jewish folktales sounds like a recipe for disaster, Sheinkin instead brews up a treat. As in fables of old, Sheinkin has distilled ancient wisdom down to a pure elixir which goes down smoothly, making the stories in the Rabbi Harvey collections perfect for a wide range of ages, from older elementary through adults. The Wild West setting simply gives things a uniquely American twist.

Sheinkin is careful to keep his characters true to type, giving Harvey a dry wit that plays nicely off of the gently conniving foes he faces. Abigail's independent, down-to-earth personality is an enjoyable touch. Each person is drawn as enough of an individual to make him or her stand out and remain clear throughout the tales, but their long faces and weary eyes add humor to the tales. The setting is simple, with enough details for readers to see the Old West in their heads, but without overloading the pages. A muted brown-and-tan color palette also helps set the stage. The stories are broken into sections for readers who like to have a stopping point, but those sections flow smoothly into one another for the straight-through reader.

Readers do not have to have read the previous books to enjoy this third outing and knowledge of Jewish folklore is not necessary either. A list of suggested readings and information on story sources makes this a nice choice for use in classrooms. Though this will probably have to be somewhat hand-sold to potential readers, once they've read one of Rabbi Harvey's fun adventures, they'll be sure to want another. Rabbi Harvey is a wonderful addition to American folklore, more than able to take his place beside older icons such as Paul Bunyan and Brer Rabbit.
-- Snow Wildsmith

Wisdom and compassion win over cheating and violence in this hilarious book. Rabbi Harvey of Elk Spring, Colorado is challenged by the new (and, as it turns out, evil) Rabbi Ruben (also known as "the wisdom kid.") With the help of his own learning and some quick action on the part of his friend Abigail (former gold miner and current schoolteacher), Rabbi Harvey shows up Rabbi Ruben for the cheater he is and runs him out of town.

The drawings in this book at first appear crude. In fact, the art is dubbed "strange" in one of the blurbs on the back cover! However, as I read the book, the art came to seem perfect for this funny book that brings traditional wisdom to life in unexpected ways.


I've included this book in my Gender Equality Bookstore online.

A very high quality series hits its high mark with a full-length adventure that is both hilarious and offers the rarest of commodities: actual wisdom. Sheinkin's command of subtle humor is matched only by his encyclopedic knowledge of Jewish folklore. Join that with his endearing Rabbi and it makes an ideal book for kids, adults or anyone interest in a fine, fine read.

I very much enjoyed the first book of this series, but found it somewhat flawed. Rabbi Harvey didn't come off as terribly rabbinical, let alone very Jewish, and it was unclear if he was in the old West in the historical sense or in some kind of fantastic reimagining of it. The stories came off as original fiction, not folktale, ancient parable, and history.

Rabbi Harvey is now clearly Jewish, and a clear voice of wisdom and authority. There are other nice Jewish elements (such as the mentioning of blessings before eating and the Bad Bubbe's use of Yiddish) mixed in, and the hilarious setting--a reimagined Old West with Temple Tents instead of Church revivals and gefilte fish joints instead of saloons--now aids the plot and character development.

My biggest complaint about the original Rabbi Harvey book was that the sources of Rabbi Harvey's stories and antics were unclear. This newest volume, _Rabbi Harvey and the Wisdom Kid_, has a wonderful recap of each story at the end, complete with sources. A related reading list follows that. These additions push an already wonderful book firmly into the 5 star range.

Rabbi Harvey is at it again! In simple line drawings that fill each hilarious page with a comic book style rendition of a western thriller, Steve Sheinkin shares the wisdom of Talmudic tales and the silliness of Chelm stories as he relates the story of Rabbi Harvey's confrontation with the Wisdom Kid in a graphic novel format. Rabbi Harvey's arch enemies Bubbe Bloom and Milt Wasserman team up to get the wise Rabbi out of town so that Bubbe's son Rabbi Ruben can take over. Rabbi Ruben, known as "the Wisdom Kid," tells his own brand of Jewish folktale, but for a price. In the style of frontier dime novels, the plot hangs around a duel between Harvey and Ruben, but in this story it is a duel of wits. Rabbi Harvey is helped by his own lady love, the sweet teacher Abby. As in his other two graphic novels, Steve Sheinkin captures the wisdom and humor of Jewish folktales with a Wild Western tam. Unlike his other two books, though, this novel has one central plot rather than a compilation of different stories. It is expertly done with Rabbi Harvey going from one dire situation to another until he finally defeats Rabbi Ruben in the final showdown. This entertaining book will capture the interest of even the most reluctant readers and is highly recommended for all collections. Grades 3-6. Suzi Dubin

On a beautiful autumn day in Elk Spring, Colorado we find Sheriff Rabbi Harvey fishing at the shore of the Black Bear River. The legendary sheriff is famous for solving problems and keeping the peace not with a pistol, but rather with his disarmingly sharp intellect, dry wit and age old wisdom. Our reluctant hero's thoughts are as distant from fishing as the fish are distant from his hook. The river trout may be quite safe from harm... but the same can't be said for Mr. Bloom, the vice-president of the First Colorado Bank, who is helplessly caught in the river rapids.

Harvey snaps out of his daydream in response to the calls for help from the banker who is drifting precariously close to the brink of a waterfall. Reaching out, Rabbi Harvey offers a sturdy elm branch and pulls the man to safety. The banker asks how he can repay Harvey. Harvey responds in earnest saying the obvious: "Learn to swim!" The banker does not wish to let Harvey off the hook easily for his good deed and insists on paying him back in his own way. Rabbi Harvey reluctantly accepts the banker's seemingly innocent offer to buy him dinner. With no reason to doubt the banker's intentions, Harvey soon discovers that there is more in store for him than meets the eye. This is how the adventure begins.

Rabbi Harvey has faced many challenges in the past and with his wit and wisdom he has met them all handily, but has he finally met his match? A new face emerges into Elk Spring... a man who fancies himself as the new town Rabbi! Known as Rabbi "Wisdom Kid" Rubin, the newcomer is quite clever and well studied. He moves forward with his somewhat devious agenda to usurp Harvey as town Rabbi and Sheriff. Our hero, Rabbi Harvey, certainly has his work cut out for him this time... and we are lucky enough to go along for the ride.

Award winning author Steve Sheinkin has somehow outdone himself yet again. His charming illustrations and thoroughly entertaining story have us laughing and learning from the page one.... all the while wondering how it will end.

At stake is the well being of every man, woman, and child in the town of Elk Spring. Has Rabbi Harvey finally met his match in the arrival of this new rival? Added to the mix is a partner for Harvey: at his side is the Abigailm, the town teacher. She too may be Harvey's match - she may even be his true love. As the story unfolds the unlikely duo embarks on a journey together in an attempt to save their beloved town.

The first two books in Mr. Sheinkin's series are delightful collections of Rabbi Harvey's short stories. This, the latest graphic novel in the series, is Rabbi Harvey's first book-length story. The gripping tale is fully engaging and almost impossible to set aside without reading it from cover to cover in one sitting.

Enjoy the adventure as Rabbi Harvey matches wits with a formidable foe. Experience traditional Jewish folk-tale wisdom as can only be told in Sheinkin's unique, comic book style. Allow the parables contained within this story to enrich the mind... much in the same way the body is nourished from a healthy and delicious meal.