Recensione:
*Rabbi Benjamin and his congregation are besotted with one another, but when the community presents its leader with a yellow-gold vest to wear on holidays, decorated with four shiny silver buttons, they neglect to factor in one thing: Jewish holidays mean lots of irresistible, calorie- and emotion-laden Jewish cooking. As the rabbi grows increasingly portly at various dinners, it s clear to both him and his attentive dog that the vest and its silver buttons are not engineered to expand. Oy-yoy-yoy! You don t have to be Jewish to love this marvelously funny, wholly original story about the intersection of faith, food, and families in fact, it s got a wrap-up that Michelle Obama would applaud: Rabbi Benjamin discovers that a regimen of community-centered exercise (like helping one family plant a Sukkot garden) can work wonders. McGinty s ("Gandhi: A March to the Sea") loving, lighthearted prose is as sunshiny as her characters, while Reinhardt s ("The Adventures of a South Pole Pig") detailed watercolors depict a diverse congregation brimming with endearing idiosyncrasies and mutual affection a real "mishpochah."
-"Publishers Weekly," *starred review
Rabbi Benjamin has a loving relationship with his congregants, who present him with a holiday vest one Rosh Hashanah as a token of their esteem. During Sukkot, Chanukah, and Passover, he overindulges in the treats cooked up by his friends. One by one, his buttons pop off as his stomach expands. Instead of despairing, the man spends the summer helping his friends with tasks that give him a good workout, and by the following Rosh Hashanah, he is pleased to accept a wonderful new vest (with the retrieved buttons) to replace the stretched and battered old one. A number of positive themes run through this story: community, hospitality, health, problem solving. Diversity is celebrated in the cheerful watercolor and ink illustrations, which include mixed-race and single-parent families in the congregation, as well as a dad flouting traditional gender roles as he cooks and takes care of his baby. These holidays provide a framework for the story but are not the focus. The many universal themes are more central to the book than the Jewish content and make it appropriate for general audiences. The four recipes (one for each holiday) will also appeal across cultures. A pleasant story that can be used year-round as a celebration of Jewish heritage, the love of community, and the importance of eating right.
-"School Library Journal
"As a token of their love for Rabbi Benjamin, his Walnut Street congregants give him a yellow vest embroidered with a menorah, lulav branches, and torah scrolls. Four shiny silver buttons down its front complete the rabbi's new multi-holiday look. Over the course of the year, as Rabbi Benjamin liberally samples Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Hanukkah, and Passover foods, his belly expands. Eventually, the vest fabric stretches so much that each silver button pops off. Lacking basic sewing skills, the portly rabbi uses a safety pin, "tallit "clips, string, and staples in a makeshift attempt to replace the stray buttons. Over the summer, Rabbi Benjamin loses the extra weight by planting a garden, hiding Hanukkah presents, fishing for carp, and harvesting apples. The now baggy vest still doesn't fit, but the story's sweet ending is tailor-made to bring a smile to every food-loving fashionista. Reinhardt's illustrations of the bearded rabbi, who favors not only cheery vests but also high-water black pants, are done in watercolor and ink. The book includes a one-page glossary of Judaic terms and recipes for honey cake, fruit strudel, latkes, and matzo ball soup.
-"Association of Jewish Libraries"
"A happy congregation is the sunshine of my heart," proclaims Rabbi Benjamin. The love-fest goes both way --
-"Booklist Online""
*Rabbi Benjamin and his congregation are besotted with one another, but when the community presents its leader with a yellow-gold vest to wear on holidays, decorated with four shiny silver buttons, they neglect to factor in one thing: Jewish holidays mean lots of irresistible, calorie- and emotion-laden Jewish cooking. As the rabbi grows increasingly portly at various dinners, it s clear to both him and his attentive dog that the vest and its silver buttons are not engineered to expand. Oy-yoy-yoy! You don t have to be Jewish to love this marvelously funny, wholly original story about the intersection of faith, food, and families in fact, it s got a wrap-up that Michelle Obama would applaud: Rabbi Benjamin discovers that a regimen of community-centered exercise (like helping one family plant a Sukkot garden) can work wonders. McGinty s (Gandhi: A March to the Sea) loving, lighthearted prose is as sunshiny as her characters, while Reinhardt s (The Adventures of a South Pole Pig) detailed watercolors depict a diverse congregation brimming with endearing idiosyncrasies and mutual affection a real mishpochah.
-Publishers Weekly, *starred review
Rabbi Benjamin has a loving relationship with his congregants, who present him with a holiday vest one Rosh Hashanah as a token of their esteem. During Sukkot, Chanukah, and Passover, he overindulges in the treats cooked up by his friends. One by one, his buttons pop off as his stomach expands. Instead of despairing, the man spends the summer helping his friends with tasks that give him a good workout, and by the following Rosh Hashanah, he is pleased to accept a wonderful new vest (with the retrieved buttons) to replace the stretched and battered old one. A number of positive themes run through this story: community, hospitality, health, problem solving. Diversity is celebrated in the cheerful watercolor and ink illustrations, which include mixed-race and single-parent families in the congregation, as well as a dad flouting traditional gender roles as he cooks and takes care of his baby. These holidays provide a framework for the story but are not the focus. The many universal themes are more central to the book than the Jewish content and make it appropriate for general audiences. The four recipes (one for each holiday) will also appeal across cultures. A pleasant story that can be used year-round as a celebration of Jewish heritage, the love of community, and the importance of eating right.
-School Library Journal
As a token of their love for Rabbi Benjamin, his Walnut Street congregants give him a yellow vest embroidered with a menorah, lulav branches, and torah scrolls. Four shiny silver buttons down its front complete the rabbi's new multi-holiday look. Over the course of the year, as Rabbi Benjamin liberally samples Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Hanukkah, and Passover foods, his belly expands. Eventually, the vest fabric stretches so much that each silver button pops off. Lacking basic sewing skills, the portly rabbi uses a safety pin, tallit clips, string, and staples in a makeshift attempt to replace the stray buttons. Over the summer, Rabbi Benjamin loses the extra weight by planting a garden, hiding Hanukkah presents, fishing for carp, and harvesting apples. The now baggy vest still doesn't fit, but the story's sweet ending is tailor-made to bring a smile to every food-loving fashionista. Reinhardt's illustrations of the bearded rabbi, who favors not only cheery vests but also high-water black pants, are done in watercolor and ink. The book includes a one-page glossary of Judaic terms and recipes for honey cake, fruit strudel, latkes, and matzo ball soup.
-Association of Jewish Libraries
"A happy congregation is the sunshine of my heart," proclaims Rabbi Benjamin. --Booklist Online"
L'autore:
Alice B. McGinty is the award-winning author of over forty books for children. She is a writer, reader, writing coach and instructor, book reviewer, author, and mom. If you peeked in her pockets, you might find scraps of paper and a pen, a pebble or two, and a guitar pick. Alice has led music sessions for religious school and taught pre-kindergarten classes in her synagogue for many years. An enthusiastic dancer, hiker, and runner, Alice lives in Urbana, Illinois.
When Jennifer Black Reinhardt was in elementary school and her classmates said that they wanted to be firemen, doctors, and vets, she declared that she wanted to draw the pictures on greeting cards. When she grew up she did that and more. She has an illustration degree from Carnegie Mellon University and is the illustrator of The Adventures of a South Pole Pig (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).
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