Rachel Captures the Moon [Hardcover]

Richard Ungar (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

The stories of the fabled village of Chelm and its inhabitants are favorites in Jewish folklore. Newcomer Richard Ungar captures the joyous spirit of these folktales in his words and pictures.

The people of Chelm were crazy about the moon and the way it bathed the village in light. Not content to wait for the moon to rise, some of the villagers decide to capture it so they could see it whenever they wish. First the carpenter tries to reach it with a ladder. The next night the cook tries to entice the moon with soup. The musician, the weaver, and the fisherman all use their arts to try to lure the moon down to the village. To everyone’s surprise, young Rachel succeeds. But how does she capture the moon?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ungar makes an impressive debut in this reworking of a Samuel Tenenbaum story about the profoundly silly people of Chelm. Like Mole in Bringing Down the Moon (reviewed above), the inhabitants of the mythical village are so beguiled by the moon's "wondrous light" that they decide to capture it, "so we will all be able to gaze upon the moon at any time, day or night." Simon the Carpenter tries to build a ladder to it; Selma the Cook, Rafael the Musician and Sarah the Weaver try to tempt the moon down to earth with their respective talents. But only young Rachel is successful to the Chelmites' skewed way of thinking, at least when she captures the moon's reflection in a rain barrel. With dense, jewel-toned watercolors and colored-pencil illustrations, and characterizations and perspectives reminiscent of Chagall and other Jewish visual folklorists, Ungar swiftly and affectionately transports readers to a mythical, long-ago world. Ages 7-10.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-In Ungar's version of a story by Samuel Tenenbaum, the uncomplicated, hardworking people of Chelm are infatuated with the moon. They like the way it changes shape throughout the month and the pictures they imagine on its surface. The only thing they don't like is the way it disappears each morning, leaving them feeling "sad." If only they could capture it; then they could enjoy it all the time. One by one the villagers take a crack at luring the moon down to Earth. Simon builds a tall ladder, Selma makes a delicious soup, Rafael plays his violin for it, and so on. Nothing works. Only little Rachel succeeds in "capturing" the moon when she catches its shimmering reflection in a rain barrel. Of course, the moon still has to disappear come morning, but no one seems to mind. On its own, the narrative is sound enough, and tailor-made for storytime. However, the quality of Ungar's mostly flat, heavy, watercolor-and-pencil illustrations varies from spread to spread. In some paintings, the villagers' features are vaguely reminiscent of Picasso's Blue Period but in others they are expressionless and indistinct. Not an essential purchase.

Catherine Threadgill, DeKalb County Public Library, Atlanta, GA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Tundra Books (September 11, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 088776505X
• ISBN-13: 978-0887765056
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.4 x 10.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,431,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rachel Captures the Moon, October 22, 2001

By 

Lynda Nicholson (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rachel Captures the Moon (Hardcover)

I brought this book for my granddaughter (3 years old). She enjoyed the story and had many questions. She particularly liked the illustrations (which are also done by Mr. Ungar)and liked looking for Rachel in each picture.

The story is adapted from a Jewish fable and takes place in the town of Chelm. The people in the town are much enamoured of the moon and each artisan and trademan tries to find a way to coax the moon out of the sky (a musician will play beautiful music, a baker will make wonderful bread, etc.) but it is clever little Rachel who finally finds a way to capture the beauty of the moon.

My granddaughter thoroughly enjoyed the story and now asks me to read it to her on a regular basis.

I look forward to Mr. Ungar's next book.