Customer Reviews

The Yankee at the Seder

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

You don't have to be Jewish or a child to enjoy this book. So far we've shared this book with several very different families and they all loved it. It's a sensitive tale, well illustrated, with believable characters and it rings authentic. I wouldn't recommend it for toddlers, but anyone from age 6 and up can appreciate the story. I especially liked that the story's ending is uplifting without being sappy, which is no mean feat.

I was actually buying a copy for friends after reading the great review it got in Publisher's Weekly. Since we are not Jewish, I thought the theme might be too confusing for my young daughters. But when we got it, we couldn't help but have a look inside - the illustrations were beautiful and the story kept us all enthralled to the very end.

As it turns out, this is really a universal story about family, traditions, and, most importantly, acceptance; perfect for children of any background. The fact that it was true made it even better. Now I have to buy another copy for my friends, because we're keeping this one!

My kids (4 - 8) really enjoyed the story and the beautiful illustrations.
It led to very interesting discussions with the older children as well.
It brought out certain themes very well; different perspectives to the same conflict (Civil War), slavery, freedom.

Altogether a very enjoyable & enlightening read.

I was captivated by Elka Weber's story of a boy who survived the Civil War in the Confederacy, and must now allow a hated Yankee soldier on his long walk home to join his family's seder. It's a story for Passover, but also for the rest of the year, since it's about war, forgiveness, generosity, family, and even a saber. The fact that it's based on a true story is amazing. Children can learn a lot from this book about the Civil War and Passover, but they will also be entertained by the strong characters and entertaining story. Adam Gustavson's oil paintings add to the vivid sense of time and place.

An unusual Passover story, told with humor and suspense. The language flows and the theme of liberty will elicit discussions about the role of Southern Jews in the Civil War. I've heard the author speak about her research behind the book, and I was impressed.

This story gave me chills. It is revealing, powerful, tense and emotional. Set in Virginia right after the Civil War has been lost by the South, a family of Southern Jews is preparing for Passover, when a young Yankee officer shows up to share the Seder meal with them. The story is told through the eyes of the youngest male member of the family. The language of the story is excellent and simple, the message it delivers is as well - it is ultimately our behavior by which we are judged. Let's not stop there. The extraordinary illustrations so beautifully complement the story that it would be hard to imagine one without the other. Each picture is an expression of the words on the page and in most cases, the characters come out of the frame as they bring the story to life. The artist is masterful in conveying the emotions of the characters as they confront their political differences while working their way through the Haggadah. Sorrow, shame, joy, anger, and surprise are just a few of the emotions so admirably illustrated in this extraordinary work. - KATHY BLOOMFIELD - WELLESLEY, MA

I love the wealth of historical children's literature these days, especially in picture books. As a children's librarian, this is just one of so many wonderful new historical based books. (Henry's Freedom Box Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad, The Yellow Star The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark, Heroes Heroes, etc. I was sad that The Yankee at the Seder wasn't listed in my favorite book distributor's catalog anymore so I could get a copy for my current school assignment.
This book brought to light the animosity of the Civil War from a very different point of view. It also brought to light the difficulty of healing after a conflict as terrible as the American Civil War must have been. This book read and felt honest. The emotions felt contemporary. The author made it easy for a non-Jew such as myself to understand what was going on and to internalize the importance of an event such as a Seder. This is a must read.

This book goes beyond its subject matter by its wise choice of point of view: a child who naturally resents an invader.
The result is, first of all, entertaining; a book that does not entertain has no value, for it will not be read. The deeper result is that the reader feels empathy for those who are in the wrong, for who cannot understand that the child-narrator would naturally identify with his parents? Even as we understand the wrongfulness of the boy's support of the Confederacy, we naturally understand how he would come to this feeling. This can lead to some confusion, for do we not naturally resist empathy for those in the wrong?
The author resolves this confusion in the course of the Seder discussion. The customs of hospitality requires the boy to hear the adult viewpoints, and the Passover lesson gives ample space for discussing the Civil War in polite language. The former slaveholder suggests that Passover shows the rightfulness of rebellion, but the reply is that Passover is about the wrongfulness of slavery - the Seder hosts must not have liked being reminded that they had played the part of Pharoah! The tension is resolved through the lesson of the plagues: even though the wicked must be punished, we cannot feel at ease knowing that they have suffered.
What a masterful set of lessons, and relevant in so many realms today!
I doubt that most children will completely understand all that this book says, and that's o.k.; since it concentrates first on having a story, they may pick up the ideas and images for use later as they grow wiser. I certainly hope to do so myself.
Not being Jewish, I have not the first idea as to whether this book is theologically correct, but I will recommend it to all my friends who want to think about morality and the right attitude toward those who were - or perhaps still are - considered "enemies"!

I was thoroughly moved by this book. I'm a Christian homeschooler and got it to supplement our unit on Jewish holidays because it looked thoughtful. After reading through it, I was touched deeply. It is definitely a winner. It really teaches kids about the compassion Jews show to the least fortunate (even enemies!) on Pesach.

On the other hand, it's my opinion that this book should be shared with the older age kids (i.e. over 10) who can more fully appreciate it. Or even teenagers who are usually beyond picture books. I have an eight year old son who's a history buff but I wasn't sure even he got the subtleties and grown-up themes about the Civil War. For example, there's an exchange about whether the Passover could apply to people rebelling from an unjust government... what qualifies as "slavery"?

So while I don't mean to deter people from buying this book--it's a beautiful contrast to the happy-go-lucky tone of most holiday books, I just think that expecting your lower elementary kids to get it is a bit stretching... or at least, for mine it was!

The book was good, but not up to expectations. It touches on the irony of a southern family celebrating Pesach's story of deliverance from slavery. More could have been made of this. Too much of the book glosses over this and other complex issues that would keep the book engaging for older children and likely a favorite for many years. Parents can of course teach those pieces and start the discussion, but it would have been better in the book itself.