Giants, undersea realms, shape-changers, heroic adventures--all are gathered together in this lavish collection of eight Jewish fairy tales from around the world. The wonder of each story is gloriously captured by Stephen Fieser's striking full-color pictures. A perfect book for holiday gift giving.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Howard Schwartz and Barbara Rush bring together eight traditional Jewish stories from the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe in The Wonder Child & Other Jewish Fairy Tales. Some of these stories are unique to Jewish lore; others resemble familiar fairy tales. Steven Fieser's illustrations are capable but conventional, rather like the text itself.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6?Eight tales from Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions reveal both similarities to familiar European motifs and differences that highlight the stories' Jewish origins. In the title selection, an Egyptian variant of "Snow White" and "Sleeping Beauty," a rabbi and his wife pray for a child on Shavuoth. "The Long Hair of the Princess" is a Libyan tale with the familiar motif of a princess having to choose her husband from among seven deserving suitors. The importance of good deeds is stressed in "The Black Cat," a story from Morocco. Another tale with a Biblical flavor is "The Forest Witch" from Eastern Europe, which reinforces the sanctity of marriage vows. The giant Og makes an appearance in "The Tailors and the Giant," also from Eastern Europe, which explains the origin of tailors' pale faces. The three concluding stories feature more otherworldly characters: "The Rabbi Who Became a Werewolf" and "The Peddler and the Sprite" from Eastern Europe, and "The Purim Dybbuk" from Morocco. Lovely, full-page, full-color illustrations and spot art enhance the mood of the text. Detailed notes provide sources and groupings, and a brief glossary explains the Hebrew and Yiddish words used. A solid collection with magic, mystery, and humor.?Susan Pine, New York Public Library
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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More About the Author
Howard Schwartz is Professor of English at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He has published three books of poetry, and several books of fiction, including The Captive Soul of the Messiah and Adam's Soul. He has also edited a four-volume set of Jewish folktales, which includes Elijah's Violin & Other Jewish Fairy Tales, Miriam's Tambourine: Jewish Folktales from Around the World, Lilith's Cave: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural and, most recently, Gabriel's Palace: Jewish Mystical Tales. He has also edited three major anthologies: Imperial Messages: One Hundred Modern Parables, Voices Within the Ark: The Modern Jewish Poets (with Anthony Rudolf), and Gates to the New City: A Treasury of Modern Jewish Tales. His recent book, Reimagining the Bible: The Storytelling of the Rabbis, was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award for 1999. In addition, Schwartz has also published ten children's books, including The Diamond Tree (with Barbara Rush, which won the Sydney Taylor Book Award in 1992), Next Year in Jerusalem: 3000 Years of Jewish Tales (which won the National Jewish Book Award and the Aesop Award of the American Folklore Society, both in 1996), A Coat for the Moon (with Barbara Rush, which won Anne Izard Storyeller's Choice Award for 1998 and the 1999 Honor Title of the Storytelling World Awards, and The Day the Rabbi Disappeared: Jewish Holiday Tales of Magic (which won the National Jewish Book Award and The Aesop Prize of the American Folklore Society for 2000). His major book, Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism, won the National Jewish Book Award for 2005 in the category of Reference. Schwartz lives in St. Louis with his wife Tsila, a calligrapher, and his three children, Shira, Nathan and Miriam.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Daddy, read it again!",
By
This review is from: The Wonder Child: & Other Jewish Fairy Tales (Library Binding)
There's something right about these stories because each one in turn has received the coveted
"Daddy, read it again!" prize. There's one illustration per story so this book is good for that transitional time when the child is not ready for a completely pictureless book but her sophistication and thirst for richer prose make the picturebooks come up short. I find the illustrations quite pleasing, despite the lukewarm comments from publisher's weekly. They're well-rendered with good composition, balance, and color.
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Wonder Child,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Wonder Child: & Other Jewish Fairy Tales (Hardcover)
I was disappointed in the book; perhaps I was looking for something different than was there. I had read Marion's Tambourine and enjoyed it as an anthology of Jewish folktales. This book included fewer of them and just seemed less meaty. Frankly, even to a child I would think the book I named firs-- Marion's Tambourine-- would be the better book even if there were no pictures.
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