Talia and the Very YUM Kippur

by Linda Elovitz Marshall

Overview

Talia of Talia and the Rude Vegetables fame is back with another pun-driven story of misheard words and malapropisms. When grandma talks about preparing for breaking the Yom Kippur fast, Talia instead hears the words as 'breakfast' and 'Yum' Kippur, setting a funny series of events into motion with her misunderstanding.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467752404
Publisher:	Kar-Ben Publishing
Publication date:	08/01/2015
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	419,927
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.10(d)
Lexile:	AD470L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

Editorial Reviews

07/13/2015
Marshall and Assirelli reprise the format of 2011's Talia and the Rude Vegetables as Talia helps her grandmother prepare another holiday meal. This time Grandma is making kugel for the family's Yom Kippur break-fast meal. Talia mistakes "break-fast" for "breakfast," so she's confused about why the rest of the family left for synagogue without eating. "It's a fast day," explains Grandma. "It must be a very fast day if no one had time for breakfast," thinks a still-perplexed Talia. Eventually, Grandma tells Talia about the big evening meal and how, on Yom Kippur, "Jews fast and pray and think about how to be better people." The soft, rounded shapes of Assirelli's illustrations help establish the cozy, gently funny atmosphere of Talia's grandparents' rural home, and the pun-driven jokes keep the mood upbeat, even as Grandma introduces the idea of atonement (Talia apologizes to her grandmother for lying about the "lamp my doll broke"). It's a fine introduction to an important Jewish holiday, as well as a reminder that intangible things like forgiveness can be as delicious as the best kugel. Ages 3–8. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

07/01/2015
K-Gr 2—The heroine of Talia and the Rude Vegetables (Kar-Ben, 2012) is back, and she still seems to have a hearing problem. This time she mistakes the Yom Kippur break-fast (when Jews break their fast at the end of the Day of Atonement) for a YUM Kippur breakfast. She helps Grandma make a yummy kugel (recipe included at the back) and is surprised when everyone skips breakfast; she wonders why a "fast day" passes so slowly with most of her family away at synagogue. Grandma finally notices her confusion and explains that it's a holiday of reflection and apology. Talia experiences the deliciousness of forgiveness and concludes that it really was a "YUM" Kippur. This title works better than its predecessor because its pun makes more sense. In the earlier volume, the rudeness of the root vegetables was all in Talia's imagination; here the yum factor of Yom Kippur turns out to be real. Grandma's explanation of the holiday is age-appropriate, and it's a nice touch that Talia not only apologizes and receives forgiveness for having broken a lamp and lied about it, she also looks for more ways to be a better person by offering to set the table. The acrylic illustrations are rounded, childlike and friendly, creating a cozy atmosphere in which Talia can feel safe to admit her misdeeds. VERDICT This pleasant and gentle introduction to the holiday of Yom Kippur includes a brief definition at the back of the book and a kugel recipe.—Heidi Estrin, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL

School Library Journal

2015-06-06
Once again, Talia (Talia and the Rude Vegetables, 2011) misunderstands her grandmother, this time for the Yom Kippur holiday "break-fast" meal. At her grandmother's farm, Talia is excited to help with the preparation of tomorrow's "YUM Kippur breakfast" by gathering the ingredients for a noodle kugel that will accompany a spread of cookies, cakes, tuna salad, and blintzes. But the next morning, Talia is served the usual cereal and fruit, while everyone else abjures breakfast altogether and leaves for the synagogue. A bit confused, Talia ponders over her grandmother's explanation: it is Yom (meaning day) Kippur, a day of remorse and reflection, not YUM (delicious) Kippur, and in the late afternoon, the family will enjoy a big meal that breaks the daylong fast. Marshall adeptly exploits the nuance of language and its use in context to introduce the significance of the holiday's atonement through prayer and fast in a simple way for young children. The long, slow—the opposite of fast!—day alone with Grandma gives Talia the opportunity to think about her own shortcomings and to apologize. The folk-style illustrations in deep tones evoke this sweet and endearing little girl's day with her loving elder. Both a loving family story and a deft introduction to the significance of the holiday. (Picture book/religion. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews