Yiddish with Dick and Jane [Hardcover]

Ellis Weiner (Author), Barbara Davilman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 13, 2004 | Series: Dick and Jane

Jane is in real estate.

Today is Saturday.

Jane has an open house.

She must schlep the Open House signs to the car.

See Jane schlep.

Schlep, Jane. Schlep.

Schlep, schlep, schlep.

In text that captures the unque rhythms of the original Dick and Jane readers, and in 35 all-new illustrations, a story unfolds in which Dick and Jane--hero and heroine of the classic books for children that generations of Americans have used when learning to read--manage to express shades of feeling and nuances of meaning that ordinary English just can't deliver. How? By speaking Yiddish, employing terms that convey an attitude--part plucky self-assertion, part ironic fatalism. When Dick schmoozes, when Jane kvetches, when their children fress noodles at a Chinese restaurant, the clash of cultures produces genuine hilarity.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dick and Jane are all grown up, and they're living in the real world-and it's full of tsuris (troubles). That's the premise of this hilarious little book, which functions both as a humorous tale and a genuine guide to a language with a sentiment and world view all its own. Jane is married to Bob and has two perfect children. Dick schmoozes with business people over golf: "Schmooze, Dick. Schmooze...." Their sister, Sally, who teaches a course in "Transgressive Feminist Ceramics," can see that life is not perfect, even though dear Dick and Jane cannot. Their mother has a stroke ("Oy vey, Jane," says Dick when he learns the news). Bob's best friend's wife is having an affair because the best friend himself is gay ("'Tom is more than gay, Sally,' says Dick. 'He is overjoyed.'... 'Oy Gotenyu oh, God help us,' sighs Sally.") And purse dealers take advantage of the gullible. The brief story is priceless, but the equally funny glossary is a great reference to which readers can return any time they need the right Yiddish word-or whenever they need to determine whether the jerk they just saw is a putz, a schmo or a schmuck.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Ellis Weiner has been an editor of National Lampoon, a columnist for Spy, and a contributor to many magazines, including The New Yorker and the New York Times Magazine. He lives in Pennsylvania.


Barbara Davilman lives in Los Angeles, where she writes for television.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; First Edition edition (September 13, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316159727
• ISBN-13: 978-0316159722
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.4 x 7.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,575 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars a shanda? no way.. it's a mechayeh September 21, 2004

By Larry Mark

Format:Hardcover

In 1927, Dick and Jane began to teach American kids to read through repetition. So, nu? Vo den? Who knew they knew Yiddish, too? I am sure their parents could schep nachas had they known. I know what you're thinking. Oh, some fancy schmancy authors sprinkled Dick and Jane with a smattering of Yiddish. Schtuss. You'd be tsedreyt in kop if you think that way. This "primer" has a very interesting and surprising plot. In this retelling of a tale, Jane shines and doesn't play second fiddle to Dick. Jane is married to a mensch, Bob, and they have two lovely kids, as well as a dog and cat. Bob is a tad naďve. Jane works in real estate with her boss Stanley, and Stanley is very good at staging homes for sale. Dick is also married with kids, and loves to golf with Tom. Tom has a penchant golf clubs. Now an adult, Sally has moved out to Berkeley, where she is a confident feminist, but she has tsurris. But who doesn't? Even the Jamaican nursemaid the family hires for mom has tsurris (and some good herbs). So do yourself a favor. Order in some Chinese, and read this primer with the whole mishpacha. The authors, one of whom worked for National Lampoon, include a 20 page glossary of terms which is as good as the story text.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Dick and Jane do Yiddish October 9, 2004

By Eileen Rieback

Format:Hardcover

Who would have thought that the non-Jewish stars of the old-time elementary school reading primers would now be speaking Yiddish? In this parody, Dick and Jane have grown up and they now face a raft of real-world problems. Jane is a real estate agent with a mensch of a husband and Dick is a businessman who golfs and schmoozes with his business associates. Their sister Sally is a zaftig ceramics instructor living in Berkeley. Their mother has a stroke and becomes a bit farblondget. Then throw in the cheating wife of Dick's switch-hitting golfing buddy and a goniff of a handbag salesman, and... feh! Sally kvetches that this is no longer the idealized and innocent world that she grew up in, where women were dress-wearing housewives, men always wore suits, and everything was politically correct.

The story has 40 old-fashioned watercolor illustrations that recall the style of the original readers but with content that reflects the realities of 21st century life. The text includes such dialog as "See Jane schlep. Schlep Jane schlep." There is a glossary containing over eighty Yiddish words and phrases and one in Chinese (yes, Chinese!) that can be found in the story. Some of the funniest things in the book can be found in this glossary, where the authors explain the origins and usage of the words. An example definition is "Mechuleh - bankrupt, kaput... See how the letters for 'kaput' are in the word 'bankrupt'? Isn't language great?" You might not learn more than a smattering of Yiddish phrases from this book, but you will have some laughs over the parody and take a nostalgic trip back to the primers that taught you to read. So nu? Why not share this book with the whole mishpocha!

Eileen Rieback

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I give it a 5, kina-hora October 16, 2004

By jebaer

Format:Hardcover

Who knew Dick and Jane were Jewish? This little book is a good introduction to all those words we've heard on TV or in movies and wondered what they meant. Easy to read format helps too--"Schmooze, Dick, schmooze. Schmooze, schmooze, schmooze." I liked it, the illustrations look like they came from an old Dick and Jane reader, with a few variations. Recommended for gentiles everywhere.