When I was I think 7, I read Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins for the first time. I checked it out from my school library. I must of checked that book out from there at least a thousand times. Hershel gave his town hope and at the time they needed it most. He took the only things that the villagers had left to give him (an egg, a dreidal, and a pickle jar) and he climbed the mountain where the goblins were yet nobody had faith in him to come back. Read Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins and learn how Hershel out smarts the goblins. It's a great book for all ages and I hope that you enjoy the book as much as I do.

Every year I read this story to as many children as I can. AS a music teacher I have my captive audience:) I have sometimes 9 classes a day(3 too many, but that's another review of another kind)and I use the reading of the story as an acting exercise for me and total delight for the children.It usually falls into two sections of reading. I use different voices for each of the exquisite creatures and the children delight in the imagery and ultimately the universal lesson. In fact, after reading, the group and I recognize that when Hershel was faced with a problem..."He didn't get a gun, he didn't get a knife...(we point to our heads)...he used his ooold brain". Indeed this intelligent, brilliantly written and beautifully illustrated book is a gem.

I also use the opportunity at the time of Halloween to explore and explain about Hanukkah so that by the time that holiday rolls around they know all about it.

We check this out every year, and now that it's in paperback, we're buying it! The text and vocabulary are suitable for preschool/kindergarten, yet interesting to parents as well. The wonderful drawings cover the pages. The goblins are horrible, yet not frightening. The main character, Hershel, defeats the goblins with brains, not brawn. Just great

That Anansi is such a scoundral!!

After boring into one of Elephants melons, he eats himself too big to get out!! So, Anansi waits to get thing again...Only, he's bored! So he decides to amuse himself at Elephant's expense... and Hippo's...and Warthog's...Well, you get the idea.

This is a cute story about a trickster spider. Janet Stevens' illustrations are, as always, excellent. Anansi is not just a regular spider. Stevens gives him expressions and a personality. You wind up laughing with Anansi's pranks. Very well done!

I would definitly recommend this book. I read it to a group of young school age kids - 5-9. They could kinda tell where the story was going, but were more than willing to sit for the ride.

My 5 year old son LOVED the mischief Anansi got into and understood the lessons that were being taught. It is written in a way that younger kids can understand and the illustrations are great!

Anansi the spider bores his way into one of Elephant's melons and thus begins the great trickery of some of the greatest animals in the Animal Kingdom. I used this book with the second grade class and we loved the human characteristics of the animals and all the funny things Anansi says while he is in the melon. It is a great book to act out in the puppet theater and we had great fun taking on the roles of the elephant, monkey, spider and other surprised and astonished animals.

I have always been interested in the Ukrainian art of pysanky and found this book touching. Anyone interested in seeing fine examples of Ukrainian Pysanky should visit the pysanky showcase website at www.pysankyshowcase.com.

Renown and widely acclaimed all over the world, the UkrainianEaster Egg is generally considered to be the finest example of the artform. In terms of its beautiful and intricate design the Ukrainian Easter Egg is unsurpassed. There are Ukrainian Easter Egg societies and clubs even as far away as Japan, whose members not only collect Easter Eggs, but paint them! This is a delightful story for children. Eat your heart out Harry Potter!

The Birds' Gift is a wonderful folk tale of the Easter Season. The Ukrainian villagers help the birds trapped over the winter. The birds repay the kindness by leaving behind beautiful Easter Eggs when they go on their own in the spring. The author tells the story in a lovely gentle manner. The illustrations are delightful, especially the last two pages with intricately designed Ukrainian Easter eggs. Highly recommended.

As Eric Kimmel explains in the afterword of another book, he hails from a long line of storytellers. That may be why he is particularly adept at telling these eight delights from Chelm, one for each night of the Festival of Lights.

Now Chelm, as you may know, is the mythical town of fools somewhere in Eastern Europe. And every book of Chelm stories offers a different explanation of how they got there, usually involving God, angels--and a giant slip-up. Kimmel's variation ascends to the level of Isaac Bashevis Singer (who also wrote magnificent tales for children), maybe because he retells a Yiddish version of the story.

Kimmel has a neat way of taking stories from one tradition and mixing them with others, a feat he pulls off with aplomb in three of these tales. I especially like Berel Dunce and Motke Fool in The Magic Spoon, a Chelm rendition of Stone Soup.

He can also magically pull original stories out of thin air, as he does here with three Chelmnick firsts. One, The Soul of the Menorah, introduces us to the menorah at the Grand Synogogue of Chelm, with a blessing from the Seer of Lublin himself.

It came to Chelm, many years ago, on the back of a hay wagon, in the shape of a hay fork. Anyone who dared to question that God threw it down from heaven was greeted with the rejoinder, "Dolt! Mooncalf! Since when does a hay fork shine like silver?"

Sparks of holiness can be found in the most common, ordinary things, the Rabbi of Lublin told the people of Chelm. "A blind beggar singing in the marketplace might be an angel. An old boot may hold the key to a cosmic riddle. We must constantly search for the hidden sparks so that we can uncover their true holiness."

Maybe these Chelmnicks are no fools. After all, they were smart enough to let Kimmel bind their wisdom between the covers of this book, and offer it for sale. Trust me, this book is rich. (But then, I never met a Chelmnick I didn't like.) Alyssa A. Lappen

This is one of those books that is really fun to read to your kids. The stories, one for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah, are cleverly told. Although the fine people of Chelm are often foolish, the lessons learned are always relayed in a wry, humorous way.

Kimmel has a way with words and the collection of wisdom represented within this book brings a new meaning to the holiday spirit. Our kids love these stories. Like Kimmel's book Herschel and the Hanukkah Goblins and others, they like to hear these stories year-round.

While the real city of Chelm is in Poland, the Chelm of Jewish legend could be almost anywhere - it is the traditional town of fools. But, as is the case with many fools, they're often wiser than we realize. After all, when dreidel is played in Chelm everyone wins!

Caldecott Honoree Kimmel has created eight hilarious Hanukkah stories filled with memorable characters such as Monke Fool, and Feivel Bonehead. Add the smile-provoking, colorful illustrations of Mordicai Gerstein and you have a book that is both spirited and poignant - very much like Hanukkah itself.

Among the brave and wise rabbis in these stories come demons, ghosts, fools and even the clever Hershel of Ostropol, who tricked the Demon King in another Kimmel Chanukah story.

But our son especially loves the story for the fourth night. The Lord tells King Solomon the dimensions for the Temple he must build and what materials to use. But King Solomon may not use iron, "for iron is a metal of war." As to how, without iron, builders can hew timbers for the ceiling and split stones for the walls, the Lord remains silent.

Then Nathan the prophet tells King Solomon of the wondrous creature called the Shamir, fashioned by God from beams of light. Although no bigger than a barleycorn, it has the power to split massive stones.

Solomon calls for an army captain to confront Ashmodai, king of the demons, who has the Shamir. Benayahu ben Yehoyada volunteer, and took with a spade, a fleece, a jar of Greek wine, an iron chain with a holy charm carved on each link, King Solomon's magic signet ring--and the wise King's plan.

He came to a mountain, at whose foot the winged demon king Ashmodai landed. Benayahu dug a hole beneath the cistern where the great demon king drank, letting all the water run out. The ring gave him strength to move the cistern's stone cover. Then he hid.

Ashmodai returned and drank from the well. It was wine, which soon made him dance, and then sleep. Benayahu bound the sleeping demon king, who insisted on telling the secret location of the Shamir only to Solomon himself. In court, the demon confessed that the Lord had taken the Shamir away.

Solomon called the birds and asked if any of them had seen the Shamir. An albatross had--on a rock in the middle of the ocean. Benayahu straddles the great bird, and flies off to retrieve the Shamir, returning with it to Jerusalem. "And so Solomon built the Temple, without iron tools of any kind." The Shamir was then returned to its rock in the northern sea--until the Messiah comes, and a new Temple rises in Jerusalem.

Each of the seven other tales is as brave and wise as this one. Alyssa A. Lappen

I found this book at my childs school library and found it to be a wonderful complement to our nightly Hanukkah celebration. Every night I've read a new story and we've talked about what each story means. I think its a great book, full of meaningful stories.

A very worthy collection of short stories that will appeal to the entire family. The stories are sometimes clever, sometimes humorous, but always enjoyable. This is a book that can be read silently alone, or out loud to others. The author also includes a very touching story concerning his collection of the stories in this book.

I absolutely loved the story line in this book! A Princess is given 3 Princes to choose from to marry. She has a difficult time deciding and in the end chooses the best one. A very fun find for children, and a valuable lesson is learned as well. Definitely an enjoyable book. Great for Multicultural classrooms or integrating Arab culture into the room!

As an ESL teacher, I'm always looking for books to share as a read aloud to honor my students' native cultures. Not only is this a noteworthy book, but the illustrations are magnificent. My students from the Middle East always enjoy the sharing of this story with their new friends. I applaud the princess in this tale for her choice of a prince. Her wisdom is extraordinary; she provides a worthwhile lesson for all students.

The plot will be familiar to anyone who has seen the old silent movie "Thief of Bagdad." This is a Middle Eastern tale of three princes who search the world for rare treasures in order to win the hand of a princess. Will true love triumph? Wonderful telling of a classic story.

It just isn't a Jewish holiday without a new book by Mr Kimmel. Kimmel (the author of Gershon's Monster) tells the story of how there are sparks of good and "light" in all things. It is an unusual Hanukkah tale of magic and mischief. As the residents in the shtetl of Brisk prepare to celebrate the start of the eighth day of Hanukkah, two mischievous creatures descend upon the town. They recite the magic word of ZIGAZAK and they make dreidels dance and latkas fly. The town's residents, rich and poor, young and old, run to the rabbi, who helps them to understand that when life gives you bad-apples, you make applesauce. The monsters do not scare the rabbi, and flying latkas are just as tasty as ones that are still. Using reverse psychology the rabbi might beat the monsters at their own game, and teach everyone that one should bring light from darkness... thus the message of the holiday.

As a Catholic committed to multiculturalism and to multidenominational appreciation, I enjoyed this story and its lessons immensely. It reflects the power of faith and love over evil through the words and actions of a Rabbi who teaches Jews of all ages that nothing is completely evil and that there is good in everything and in everyone. Although written for ages 4-8, this book is as well-written and beautifully illustrated as it is meaningful for readers of all ages. After reading it, I ordered two more copies for gifts.

One winter night during Hanukkah, two devils flew over the old-world village of Brisk, and decided to wreak a little havoc on the poor townspeople. With the magic word of ZIGAZAK, dreidels sprouted arms and legs and began to dance, latkes flew off their platters and soared around the room, Hanukkah candles exploded like fireworks, and musical instruments began to play songs all by themselves. The villagers were terrified, and ran to the Rabbi's house for help. The Rabbi looked at all that was going on and laughed. A little holiday mischief didn't scare him, for he was a very wise and holy man, with a few tricks of his own up his sleeve..... Eric Kimmel has written a very entertaining and satisfying Hanukkah fable, with a simple message that won't be lost on young readers. His engaging and amusing text is only outdone by Jon Goodell's bold and expressive illustrations that will mesmerize youngsters with their wonderfully busy detail. Together, this dynamic duo teaches all of us that "sparks of holiness exist in all things, even in devils' tricks." Perfect for children 5-10, Zigazak is an enchanting tale, and definitely one of the best new Hanukkah stories, this year.

With haunting illustrations by Jon Muth and sensitive, spiritual text, written on a level kids can easily understand and relate to, Gershon's Monster is a gorgeous book for Rosh Hashanah or any other day of the year.

While Kimmel relates his simple classic tale, Muth takes us on a panoramic journey through the old country, his "camera" swooping around to depict the characters' life from every possible angle.

My only problem with the book is that Gershon is depicted wearing a "tallis kattan", the fringed undergarment any religious Jew would have worn, but this garment hasn't been drawn accurately. Muth depicts it with SIX fringes instead of FOUR. He draws it, throughout the book, with the proper two corners in the back, but with FOUR in the front, so it looks like a scarf dangling down from beneath his vest (it looks kind of like the thin blue talleisim worn in some shuls).

This was a jarring inaccuracy, especially considering that the text of the book and the explanatory notes at the end were apparently run past several rabbis for approval. Perhaps Muth should've had them look at the pictures as well.

Visualizing our past misdeeds as a "monster" is a perfect way for kids to come to an understanding of the Jewish concept of teshuvah (return, repentance); and an awareness that sweeping away our sins isn't enough. The simplicity of this tale belies its message, which is one we as adults ought to learn as well. Despite the single visual flaw, this is definitely a keeper... and a great High Holiday gift item for the Jewish kids on your list!

Eric Kimmel takes great pains with all his stories, and this was no exception. As explained in his afterward, he derived this superb tale of T'Shuva (repentance, or to be more precise, returning to a righteous path) from an early Hasidic legend of the Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, who lived in Poland from 1700 to 1760 and was known as the Ba'al Shem Tov, or Master of the Good Name. Kimmel's ancestors came from that region, and he believes they knew him. Given his gift with story telling--an art for which the Ba'al Shem Tov was also famous--I can believe it. Not content, however, Kimmel also consulted work of the great 12th century Sephardic Rabbi, Moses Maimonides, known as the Ramban.

Hershel sins every day many times, but he counts himself lucky each week to be able to sweep his ill deeds aside. At the end of the year, on Rosh Hashonah, he gathers them in a giant bag, takes them to the sea and tosses them in. Kimmel derives this colorful part of Gershon's annual routine from the Jewish tradition of Tashlikh, when people walk to lakes, rivers or any moving water to toss away their crumbs. This prayerful "casting off of sins," concerns repentance and forgiveness.

But Hershel does not take the exercise seriously. He drags his satchel of sins to the sea, and then returns to his old ways--insulting people, forgetting to say Thank You, telling little untruths here and there. He even forgets to thank the Tzaddik, the holy man, whose prayers make it possible for his childless wife Fayge to bear twins. The Tzaddik warns him, though, that his bad habits will cause problems in a few short years.

Sure enough, they do. Hershel's wife has beautiful twins, but all nearly comes to ruin. To discover how Hershel finds the path to T'Shuva and saves his family, indulge in this book brilliantly illustrated by Jon Muth. You and your children will treasure it. Alyssa A. Lappen

While looking for something else entirely, my eye fell on this short illustrated retelling of a Hasidic legend, and in very short order I was totally entranced. The story, a cautionary tale relative to the nature of sin and redemption is ostensibly for children. But, in these times, it has as much meaning for the adult reading it to the child as it does for the child who is listening.
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Gershon is a baker. He lives a small, ungenerous life, never committing a 'big' sin but often doing the little wrong things that can leave a bitter taste behind. He orders rather than asks, forgets to thank people and never feels regret for his actions. Instead he stores his errors in the basement and then, at Rosh Hashanah, he follows the old tashlikh ceremony and empties his sins into the ocean as if they were bread crumbs.
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One day Gershon and his wife, who are childless, decide to consult a wise man, a tzaddik, to see if they might have children. The tzaddik, modeled after Rabbi Israel ben Elieser (the nearly legendary Baal Shem Tov), warns Gershon off, telling him that all the sins he has fouled the ocean with will come back to haunt him if he has children. Gershon is not to be put off though, and the Rabbi relents. He provides a cantrip and Gershon and his wife soon have twins.
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When the children are five, the Tzaddik's warning starts to come to pass, and Gershon sees the monster he has created rise from the ocean and threaten his children. For the fist time in his life Gershon truly repents and, as the monster fades away Gershon clasps his children and finally understands what he must do.
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Eric Kimmel's telling of this tale is crisp and clear, capable of withstanding many re-readings and the magnificent illustrations by Jon Muth which ornament the book are unforgettable. The final piece is a one page explanation of the book and some discussion of the nature of t'shuvah (repentance). Repentance is not simply apologizing, one must experience remorse and a commitment to change, and be willing to do whatever is needed to make restitution. Rarely are cautionary tales so well presented. Highly recommended for children and their parents.

Eric A Kimmel cleverly retells the an story Anansi folk tale in his book Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock, which is illustrated by Janet Stevens. It is a clever story based on the folk tradition of West Africa with Anasi the spider as a trickster hero. Anansi is a true mischief maker and after finding a magic moss-covered rock decides to use it to his friends disadvantage. In the end it is Anasi who is taught a lesson, maybe.

Anasi books and tales are a wonderful way of exploring the rich traditions from West Africa. He is derived from the Ashante who are skilled weavers and story tellers. Anansi is associated with both the Ashante traditions of story telling and weaving. He is an intriguing character whether he is spinning a web with words or with thread.

For parents and teachers introducing this story to children it is important to consider your own beliefs and views on violence and teaching lessons through violence. The trick of the moss-covered rock is that it hits animals on the head and knocks them unconscious. While children frequently delight in this kind of slapstick humor and may not take the use of violence as condoning it, the adult should consider their own conscience in introducing this book.

Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock is a staple in my storytelling repetoire. Small children appreciate the repetition; older children appreciate the humor; adults enjoy the pure playfulness of the tale. In short, this is another example of folktales being excellent (or not surviving).

The book is well written and well illustrated - I hope it becomes a children's classic as it deserves to be

I find this book useful in teaching teachers about the folk lore of Africa. It also is useful in showing teachers an interesting way to introduce and discuss values with young children.

The Chanukkah Guest was a great story that is both fictional but informational. This story teaches you about some of the Chanukkah traditions and other things that happen around that time of the year. From the preperations of the Chanukkah meal, to the games that are played. This is a good story to help kids understand a little bit about what is going on in real life.
In this story, old Bubba Brayna is gettin ready for a big Chanukkah celebration with all of her family and friends, but also her most important guest, the Rabbi. As Bubba Brayna is preparing her famous potato latkes, she hears a knock at the door. It is a Old Bear. Bubba Brayna has bad eye sight and bad ears, so she mistakes Old Bear for the Rabbi. You have to read this story and find out all of the humerous events that happen do poor, old, Bubba Bryana...

In this classic tale of mistaken identies, old Bubba Brayna is busy in her kitchen making latkes for Chanukkah. Her little house is on the edge of the village and it is deep winter. Though she is very, very old and almost blind and deaf, Bubba Brayna still can make the very best latkes in the entire village!! Tonight is a doubly-special night as it is both the first nite of Chanukkah and the village Rabbi is coming over!!

Well, there is a thump at the door of course, and in comes the Rabbi in his thick, winter coat. He sits down, eats plate after plate after plate of the latkes (still wearing his coat, for some reason) and when he's devoured them all, he gives Bubba Brayna a huge, messy kiss!!

As she's washing up, the village comes to her house to wish her a happy Chanukkah!! Even the Rabbi comes!! They soon discover that old Bubba Brayna has served all her latkes to a BEAR!!

Kimmel's book is beautifully written and delightfully illustrated by Carmi. The story is easy to read and very amusing when we, the readers, realize what Bubba Brayna doesn't: she's feeding a bear Chanukkah latkes!! The arrival of the Rabbi, who's coat, beard and hat are the exact same shade as Old Bear's fur is sure to delight children of all ages.

In a world where the commercial aspects of Christmas often overshadow the other holidays, "The Chanukkah Guest" is a welcome addition to anyone's library. It comes highly recommended.

Looking for a Channukah tale? This one surely will not fail. My kids love the Hannukah Guest. In my book it is the BEST!