Customer Reviews

Yiddish for Dogs: Chutzpah, Feh!, Kibbitz, and More: Every Word Your Canine Needs to Know

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I grew up in a New York Eastern European Jewish household where Yiddish was spoken interchangeably with English. We never ate chicken gizzards, and I would pale at the thought of eating stomach, but I loved the "pupick".

When something was bad a simple "Oy!" would do, but if you heard "Oy vay is mir" you knew things were really bad. Instead of glowing with joy we would "kvell". And people were never crazy, just "mishugeneh".

So much Yiddish has entered into typical American English vocabulary that it makes sense that our dogs, even strays from a "goy" background, would still understand the words.

I mean, what dog likes to "shlep" her owners around? And who wants only kibble when there is a "mishmash" of food in the trash? Why be on a diet when we can "fress"? And how can a dog not start barking or "plotzing" when lots of people come over the house?

This is a short picture book written from the viewpoint of dogs. So we have fat fireplug of a dog saying : "What can I say about FRESSING? Obviously my favorite activity. And believe me, I'll eat anything that you put in front of me." And we have a "shlemeil" cigarette smoking dachshund sitting in front of a "no smoking" sign.

If you are Jewish, a dog lover, or both you should buy this book. Short, hysterically funny, and the pictures are just too cute! Keep it out for company, show your friends, look at it when you're in a bad mood, and don't forget to keep speaking Yiddish to your dogs lest they lose the tradition!

This is a unique and hilarious book. The descriptions are little stories in themselves and match the photographs so well--besides which, you really laugh out loud! Great gift to any type of person who loves dogs and has a sense of humor.

Thank God for this book. I now know what the heck my pups have been saying all this time. I had no idea they were Jewish!

This book is fantastic...so funny...extremely insightful...very clever.

This is so incredibly funny- I have to buy one for everyone in my family. The illustrations with the Yiddish word and meaning just break me up, not to mention what the dogs have to say.

Being the YENTA that I apparently am, I must spread the word about this MISHUGGEH of a MATZIAH to the whole MISHPOCHA out there! What a METZIAH! Be a MENSCH and buy one, yourself. Not to make a big MEGILLAH, but any MAVEN would KVELL over such a gift. Only a GONIFF wouldn't buy it! Don't get all FATACTST about it, this is no DRECK. No one would have the CHUTZPAH to give this a bad review. It costs BUBKES, and everyone on your gift list from ALTER KOCKER to BOYHICK will declare it a YONTIFF when they receive it!

Even if your dog is a VILDA CHAYA or a VONTZ, there will be no UNGABLOOZEN when they get this prized TCHOTCHKE. Only a SCHNORRER would read it at the library! Buy it now from Amazon.com and you'll never Be a SCHMANDRICK again. Stop SHLUFFIN and get it now. No more SCHLEPPING, because this is no SHLOCK!

To not buy it is a SHANDEH!

This is a short-ish book which consists of some well-known and some less known Yiddish words illustrated by pictures of various dogs. Some of the pictures are rather appropriate for the words but others are just cute pictures. This isn't a book to read as a serious Yiddish primer but is amusing and serves to remind non-Yiddish speakers of how many of our words are actually from that language (for example, I had no idea that "mishmash" is Yiddish).

This probably works best as a gift book or a coffee table book.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book, www.curledup.com. © Helen Hancox 2007

this pictures are adorable and the definitions of the words crack me up. Get a copy to keep and a few to give away!

Very funny. Shared it with a friend who isn't Jewish and she loved it. Cute illustrations. Not a serious book, but it is very amusing.

Love this book so much I bought a 2nd copy on Amazon. It has the funniest Jewish humor I've come across in years. It came in great condition-good enough for a gift.

This arrived quickly and in fairly good condition (save some sticky residue on the front where a sticker/price tag had been). Cute book.