|
|
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Laughter of Isaac, February 2, 2002
Sadie Rose Weilerstein, born in 1894, was a leading author of Jewish children's stories for more than 50 years. She introduced the tiny character named K'tonton in the September 1930 issue of Outlook magazine. Isaac Samuel ben Baruch Reuben--whose first name meant laughter--was a late-born miracle. His mother had wanted a child so badly that in her Sukkot prayers, she promised to love even a child "no bigger than a thumb." Sure enough, before a year had passed, she gave birth to a son. And sure enough, he was no bigger than her thumb. She blanketed him in the flax she had used to wrap an etrog--the Israeli citrus fruit used to celebrate Sukkot--and cradled him in a hand-carved etrog box. The 16 stories here were selected from Weilerstein's three K'tonton volumes--The Adventures of K'tonton (1935); K'tonton in Israel (1964) and K'tonton on an Island in the Sea (1976). An educational director and Chazan, whose students loved the tales, recommended the book. I am glad I followed up, because my son adores this magical little fellow. Each evening's story hour brings eager requests not for one or two stories, but three. Each tale is filled with details about important Jewish ideas or traditions, and a dash of Jewish humor. Take K'tonton's slide down the side of a chopping bowl in which his mother was mixing Shabbat gefilte fish. He wanted a ride on the chopping knife. He predictably ended up covered in fish, a vision (illustrated in beautiful black and white ink) that makes kids ring with the laughter of Isaac. Similarly, children emit gales of laughter on hearing of K'tonton's ride on the tip of a lulav--the palm branch that is pointed east, west, south and north, to the heavens and to earth as part of the harvest celebration of Sukkot. As K'tonton's father and the entire congregation stand to chant Hodu l'Adonai ki tov--Praise the Lord for God is good--there was K'tonton singing in a high treble that rose above all the other voices. Even more hilarious is the spinning Chanukah dreidel that carried him off the table, down the stairs, out the door, into the street and into a gutter, where K'tonton found a small bit of Chanukah money known in Yiddish as gelt. K'tonton also turned up in a Purim cookie, a Hamentash, covered with poppy seeds, and tried to feed a hungry cat on Yom Kippur. He also got lost at the beach and was carried on the back of a seagull to an island in the sea, where he welcomed the Sabbath Queen with fireflies instead of candles and the bountiful harvest of the wilderness. On the island, he also shared wild fruit and seed bread on Shavuot, the celebration of the gift of Torah, with his new family--Mouse, Rabbit, birds, Turtle and Toad. In the last four stories, K'tonton made his way to Israel inside the suitcase of a friend's aunt. There, in Jerusalem, he celebrated Pesach, the redemption of the Hebrew slaves, and righted some wrongs. If your children don't love this book, I'll eat my hat. Alyssa A. Lappen
|
by Sadie Rose Weilerstein
by Barbara Cohen
by Dara Horn
by Dave Horowitz
